Thunder vs pacers Gilgeous-Alexander drops 55 as OKC earns 2nd straight 2OT win
INDIANAPOLIS — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took a deep breath as he settled into his chair in the postgame interview room on Thursday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder had just completed their second consecutive double-overtime game to open the season, a feat no other team in NBA history had ever accomplished.
And for the second consecutive time, the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 141-135 in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals, which Oklahoma City won in a thrilling seven-game series in June.
“I’m tired, but that’s expected,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a career-best 55 points. “It’s a good way to break the ice, shake off the rust, strengthen my lungs, and get my cardio back.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault had planned to limit his team’s minutes after a tough win over the Houston Rockets in the first game, and there was a moment in the first overtime on Thursday night when the Thunder trailed 118-113 with 3:16 remaining, and he said it would have been easy to break away.
But Gilgeous-Alexander, who played 45 minutes on Thursday after playing 47 minutes in Tuesday night’s opener, wanted to move forward and not let a chance for victory slip away.
“Two things. Staying in the moment and understanding that we’re five minutes behind, three minutes left, there’s a lot of time left,” he said. “Also, understanding the beginning of the season is just as important as the end of the season.
“Home-field advantage in the playoffs can mean the difference between a game and a win. We know that home-field advantage in the playoffs is very helpful, especially when you play seven games. So we don’t want to take any opportunity for granted.”
In Thursday’s rematch, the Thunder were without Jalen Williams, Kason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, and Alex Caruso, but they got a major contribution from second-year guard Ajayi Mitchell, who scored a career-best 26 points off the bench.
“Everyone has a lot of confidence in him and his talent,” Daigneault said of Mitchell. “But I think his consistency in both situations… he didn’t miss a beat in both games. So we knew his talent and impact, but sometimes players take a little time, they seem a little confused. That wasn’t the case for him.”
Gilgeous-Alexander embraced Mitchell as the final buzzer sounded, partly due to fatigue, but also because he wanted to congratulate the young guard on the best game of his career.
“Different players are stepping up,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “There were a lot of players stepping up tonight. After working so hard last game, we were definitely a little injured. This team never makes excuses. They’re always ready for their opportunity.”
The Pacers, despite being short-handed, defeated the defending champions with a full-strength team. Without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season, they also lost Aaron Nesmith, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Andrew Nembhard, who injured his left shoulder in the first half and didn’t return.
Carlisle said Nembhard’s shoulder would be further evaluated on Friday, but he didn’t sound overly optimistic. He said the injury “could potentially present some significant challenges.”
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