Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets help in Game 2 as Thunder roll past Pacers to even NBA Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got some much-needed assistance from his teammates in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, and the Oklahoma City Thunder evened the series against the Indiana Pacers with a 123-107 victory on Sunday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points in Game 1, but his supporting cast couldn't get it going, and Tyrese Haliburton's jumper in the final second gave the Pacers a 111-110 win.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 34 points and eight assists in Game 2 — typical production from the league’s MVP and scoring champion.

Co-stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren played more like their usual selves on Sunday and ensured the Pacers had no chance to use their last-second magic. Veteran reserve Alex Caruso had another strong performance and Aaron Wiggins provided a surprise boost in Oklahoma City's first Finals win since 2012.

“I thought everyone played better individually, and I thought we played better collectively,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.

Wiggins, who barely played in Game 1 and scored three points, had 18 in Game 2 and made five 3-pointers. He said the inconsistent minutes are not ideal, but his goal is to help the team.

“It’s the NBA,” he said. “There’s a lot of highs and lows. There’s a lot of other guys going through similar things and guys who have just kind of earned their rights. Understanding that, I’m still blessed to be in the NBA and do what I love. At this level, you can’t take it for granted. Just continuing to stay ready and take advantage of the opportunities I get.”

His performance was a welcome sight for the Thunder.

“He was massive tonight,” Daigneault said. “Went in there with great confidence. Didn’t go until the second quarter and dove right into the game. Great professionalism, great readiness and a huge performance for us in that situation.”

Williams, an All-Star who scored 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting in the opener, followed that with 19 points. He didn't shoot all that well — he made just 5 of 14 field goals, but he made 8 of 9 free throws and put pressure on Indiana's defense.

Holmgren, who scored just six points in the opener, bounced back with 15 points and six rebounds on 6-for-11 shooting. Caruso, the veteran guard who the Thunder picked up in an offseason trade, scored 20 points and was 4 for 8 on 3-pointers.

The Pacers expect Gilgeous-Alexander to score, but they also know they need to do better against Oklahoma City's other players in Game 3 in Indianapolis.

“It’s a matter of slowing him (Gilgeous-Alexander) down and limiting the role players," Pacers center Myles Turner said. “A few of their guys stepped up tonight. I think Wiggins had a great game. Caruso, he did what he had to do. So it’s about limiting their role players and making it tougher on them, at least.”

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) controls the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and center Myles Turner (33) during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) fouls Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (Matthew Stockman/Pool Photo via AP)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (Matthew Stockman/Pool Photo via AP)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — With the start of the New Year squarely behind us, it's once again time for the annual CES trade show to shine a spotlight on the latest tech companies plan on offering in 2026.

The multi-day event, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, kicks off this week in Las Vegas, where advances across industries like robotics, healthcare, vehicles, wearables, gaming and more are set to be on display.

Artificial intelligence will be anchored in nearly everything, again, as the tech industry explores offerings consumers will want to buy. AI industry heavyweight Jensen Huang will be taking the stage to showcase Nvidia's latest productivity solutions, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will keynote to “share her vision for delivering future AI solutions.” Expect AI to come up in other keynotes, like from Lenovo's CEO, Yuanqing Yang.

The AI industry is out in full force tackling issues in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on changing individual health habits to treat conditions — such as Beyond Medicine's prescription app focused on a particular jaw disorder — or addressing data shortages in subjects such as breast milk production.

Expect more unveils around domestic robots too. Korean tech giant LG already has announced it will show off a helper bot named “ CLOiD,” which allegedly will handle a range of household tasks. Hyundai also is announcing a major push on robotics and manufacturing advancements. Extended reality, basically a virtual training ground for robots and other physical AI, is also in the buzz around CES.

In 2025, more than 141,000 attendees from over 150 countries, regions, and territories attended the CES. Organizers expect around the same numbers for this year’s show, with more than 3,500 exhibitors across the floor space this week.

The AP spoke with CTA Executive Chair and CEO Gary Shapiro about what to expect for CES 2026. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Well, we have a lot at this year's show.

Obviously, using AI in a way that makes sense for people. We’re seeing a lot in robotics. More robots and humanoid-looking robots than we’ve ever had before.

We also see longevity in health, there’s a lot of focus on that. All sorts of wearable devices for almost every part of the body. Technology is answering healthcare’s gaps very quickly and that’s great for everyone.

Mobility is big with not only self-driving vehicles but also with boats and drones and all sorts of other ways of getting around. That’s very important.

And of course, content creation is always very big.

You are seeing humanoid robots right now. It sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

But yes, there are more and more humanoid robots. And when we talk about CES 5, 10, 15, 20 years now, we’re going to see an even larger range of humanoid robots.

Obviously, last year we saw a great interest in them. The number one product of the show was a little robotic dog that seems so life-like and fun, and affectionate for people that need that type of affection.

But of course, the humanoid robots are just one aspect of that industry. There’s a lot of specialization in robot creation, depending on what you want the robot to do. And robots can do many things that humans can’t.

AI is the future of creativity.

Certainly AI itself may be arguably creative, but the human mind is so unique that you definitely get new ideas that way. So I think the future is more of a hybrid approach, where content creators are working with AI to craft variations on a theme or to better monetize what they have to a broader audience.

We’re seeing all sorts of different devices that are implementing AI. But we have a special focus at this show, for the first time, on the disability community. Verizon set this whole stage up where we have all different ways of taking this technology and having it help people with disabilities and older people.

Well, there’s definitely no bubble when it comes to what AI can do. And what AI can do is perform miracles and solve fundamental human problems in food production and clean air and clean water. Obviously in healthcare, it’s gonna be overwhelming.

But this was like the internet itself. There was a lot of talk about a bubble, and there actually was a bubble. The difference is that in late 1990s there were basically were no revenue models. Companies were raising a lot of money with no plans for revenue.

These AI companies have significant revenues today, and companies are investing in it.

What I’m more concerned about, honestly, is not Wall Street and a bubble. Others can be concerned about that. I’m concerned about getting enough energy to process all that AI. And at this show, for the first time, we have a Korean company showing the first ever small-scale nuclear-powered energy creation device. We expect more and more of these people rushing to fill this gap because we need the energy, we need it clean and we need a kind of all-of-the-above solution.

A Coro breastfeeding monitor is pictured at a Coroflo booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Yonbo X1 robots are pictured at the X-Orgin booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

A Tombot robotic puppy is pictured at a Tombot booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

People arrive at the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)