Despite a challenging period for the current Eastern Conference titleholders, the Indiana Pacers displayed resilience, securing a 117-114 away triumph against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a championship series rerun on Friday evening. This win marked only Indiana’s third away success of the ongoing season.
Oklahoma City suffered defeat even with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributing 47 points, achieved by making 17 of 28 field goal attempts and converting all 12 free throws. This marked SGA’s fifth performance of 40 points or more this season. Chet Holmgren added 25 points and secured 13 rebounds. However, aside from Kenrich Williams (12) and Cason Wallace (10), no other OKC player reached double-digit scoring.
Several key players for Oklahoma City, including Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Aaron Wiggins, and Ajay Mitchell, were sidelined. This absence provided an opportunity for the Pacers to deploy a more compact roster, facilitating a quicker pace of play.
The Indiana squad established an 82-71 advantage with 4 minutes and 9 seconds left in the third period, yet the Thunder narrowed the gap to 86-85 right before the quarter concluded. Throughout the final quarter, Oklahoma City was unable to seize the lead, though they did reduce the Pacers’ buffer to 94-91 when seven minutes remained.
A three-point shot by Andrew Nembhard seemed to deliver the knockout punch, extending Indiana’s lead to 113-103. Nevertheless, the Thunder mounted a 9-0 surge, closing the deficit to a single point with 24 seconds left in the contest. During the final 10 seconds, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jarace Walker exchanged successful free throws, creating a chance for Oklahoma City to force a tie with only six seconds on the clock.
Ultimately, the Pacers’ defensive pressure compelled the Thunder to direct the ball to Isaiah Joe for a long-range shot. His attempt was unsuccessful, allowing Indiana to secure what many consider their most significant victory of the current season.
Nembhard contributed 27 points, including 4 successful three-pointers out of 7 attempts, along with 11 assists and 7 rebounds, guiding Indiana to only its 11th victory this season and ending a three-game skid. Walker notched a personal high of 26 points, and Pascal Siakam contributed an additional 21.
Confronting the team they faced in the previous season’s NBA Finals seems to motivate the Pacers, who, after losing their initial game of the season to the Thunder, pushed the reigning league champions into double overtime before ultimately falling 141-135. In that particular contest, Gilgeous-Alexander posted a career-best 55 points.
Having incurred their ninth defeat this season, the Thunder would now be required to win every remaining game to equal the 73 victories achieved by the Golden State Warriors in the 2015-16 season. What began as a 26-3 record, putting Oklahoma City on pace for a record-breaking year, now seems like a minor detail.
