German before NBA coronation
Now Hartenstein and the Thunder match balls have
06/17/2025, 6:44 a.m.
The Oklahoma City Thunder take the lead for the first time in the final series around the NBA title – and are about to crown. The German Center Isaiah Hartenstein would step into the footsteps of one of the greatest.
The German basketball professional Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City Thunder are about to win the title in the NBA. Okc won game five against the Indiana Pacers in their own hall 120: 109, took 3-2 in the final series for the first time and now has two match balls. The outstanding man was Jalen Williams with 40 points, superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came up to 31 points.
“Today it was exactly the same game as game one. We only learned from it and made it better, this team distinguishes that,” said Williams, who came on six rebounds and four assists. In the first encounter, Oklahoma had given a 15-point lead in the last quarter.
Center Hartenstein, who can win the NBA title as the second German professional after Dirk Nowitzki, played again from the start. In almost 21 minutes, the 27-year-old scored only four points, but convinced with eight rebounds. Oklahoma can now make the title perfect on Thursday (local time) at the Pacers or three days later in his own hall.
OKC was 0: 1 and 1: 2 behind in the series, now a milestone was achieved with the second victory in a row. And that convincingly: at 11:12 in the first quarter, Hartenstein and Co. were last behind, at the break it was already 59:45. Only at the 95:93 eight minutes before the end did the victory shake again.
The best thrower of the Pacers was Pascal Siakam with 28 points. However, there is concern about Star Tyrese Haliburton. The Point Guard, who has struck two since game, left the game in the first quarter with pain in the right calf, but later came back. There were no more than four points, all through free throws.
“He is not at 100 percent, that’s pretty clear,” said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle: “But I don’t think he will miss the next game. We were concerned during the break and he was to play … But he is not at 100 percent. There are many players in the series who are not.”
