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ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Darius Garland underwent surgery on a great toe injury and is expected to miss 4-5 months, which will likely include time to start the 2025-26 season.
Garland picked up the injury on March 23 against the Jazz and played through it before ultimately missing time. He missed four of the Cavs’ final seven games of the regular season and Games 1 and 2 of the first-round playoff series with Indiana, re-aggravating the injury in the process. If Ty Jerome re-signs with Cleveland this offseason, he’s the guy most likely to replace Garland in the starting five. Donovan Mitchell’s usage rate spiked when Garland sat and he’d appear to be in line for some big fantasy lines early in the season while Garland is sidelined.
Alex Caruso shot 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers, accounting for 20 points, three rebounds, one assist and four three-pointers.
Caruso has been Oklahoma City’s most productive reserve in the NBA Finals, which makes some sense due to him being the lone player on the roster with a championship ring. After recording 11 points and a complete stat line in Game 1, Caruso was more lethal as a scorer in Game 2. A double-digit score in three of his last four appearances, the 20 points are the most Caruso has tallied in a game since Game 1 of the Thunder’s second-round series against Denver. Given the matchup, he should continue to hit the high-20s in minutes, which raises Caruso’s ceiling on both ends of the floor. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Aaron Wiggins finished Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers with 18 points (6-of-11 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), four rebounds, one assist, one steal and five three-pointers.
After only scoring 28 points in Game 1, Oklahoma City’s reserves were more impactful in Game 2, finishing with 48. Wiggins helped lead the way, as the 18 points were the most he’s scored in a game since the Thunder’s Game 1 win over the Grizzlies in the first round. Expecting production of this caliber from Wiggins consistently would be a bit much. Still, he’ll need to be a factor, especially if Oklahoma City continues to start Cason Wallace (4/3/1/2/1 in 24 minutes). Sunday’s rout was a reminder of what Wiggins is capable of offensively.
Jalen Williams tallied 19 points (5-of-14 FGs, 8-of-9 FTs), five rebounds, five assists, one steal and one three-pointer in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers.
After shooting 6-of-19 from the field in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Williams was better in Sunday’s victory. While the percentage still has room for growth, J-Dub attempted nine free throws after getting just four on Thursday. Add in the rebounds and assists, and Williams managed to bring more to the table following his disappointing Finals debut. Oklahoma City outscored Indiana by a 33-21 margin in the second quarter, and Williams was a factor, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and scoring nine points. That’s the level of offensive aggression the Thunder will need J-Dub to bring to the table consistently if they’re to win the series. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Chet Holmgrem accumulated 15 points (6-of-11 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, one assist, one block and one three-pointer in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers.
While Holmgren’s point total wasn’t much to write home about in Game 2, it represented a marked improvement over what he brought to the table in Game 1. Having scored six points in the opening game of the NBA Finals, Holmgren exceeded that number in the first quarter of Game 2 by putting up nine points. He was held in check for the rest of the night, but other Thunder players stepped up to help Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoulder the offensive workload. If the Holmgren who showed up to begin Game 2 is the norm, Oklahoma City’s chances of winning the franchise’s first NBA title increase substantially.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 34 points (11-of-21 FGs, 11-of-12 FTs), five rebounds, eight assists, four steals, one block and one three-pointer in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers.
While Gilgeous-Alexander did score 38 points in Oklahoma City’s Game 1 defeat, he shot below 50 percent from the field. The NBA’s Most Valuable Player was more forceful in Game 2, and the approach led to SGA attempting 12 free throws while also shooting over 50 percent from the field. And Gilgeous-Alexander made some history during the victory, becoming the 12th player in league history to score at least 3,000 points in a season (regular season and playoffs). Putting up high point totals should not be an issue in this series, even with the Pacers’ ability to use multiple defenders on SGA. The key will be how he gets those points, and how often the Thunder point guard can get to the foul line. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.