The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
The Thunder were led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 34 points in 36 minutes while shooting 11-of-21 from the field, 1-of-4 from 3 and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.
OKC's second-leading scorer was Alex Caruso, who had 20 points in 27 minutes while shooting 6-of-11 overall, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Caruso is the only player on the Thunder who has won a championship. The guard won the 2020 title with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso
Draymond Green is a huge fan of Alex Caruso.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
While breaking down Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals on his podcast with former NBA guard Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green called Caruso OKC's third-most important player.
Green, a four-time NBA champion, showered Caruso with praise.
"When I look at this OKC team, I actually think the third-most-important player is Alex Caruso," Green said. "I think Caruso is so important to what they do and I feel like you never game plan for him.
"So because you don't game plan for him, he comes into these Finals and he goes crazy. But the reality is, he's a champion. So he actually knows what to expect.
"He's so important to everything they do. Defensively, he's so important to everything they do. Offensively, he can be another guy that can handle the ball that's smart, that makes decisions, that's going to shoot the right shots, not take the wrong shots."
Caruso is in his first season with the Thunder, who acquired the former Lakers guard from the Chicago Bulls.
The 31-year-old Caruso is one of the top defenders in the league (he's made two All-Defensive Teams in his career) and a player who impacts winning by making plays that don't always show up on the stat sheet.
Caruso is three wins away from winning his second NBA championship. It will be fascinating to see if he and his OKC teammates can finish the job against the Pacers.