Thunder Strike Back: Thunder’s Stars Combine for 68 to Even the Finals at 1-1
The Oklahoma City Thunder responded in dominant fashion to their bitter Game One defeat, dominating the Indiana Pacers 123-107. Following disappointing performances in the opening game, OKC forwards Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren combined for 34 points to complement star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 34 points. OKC’s standout bench performers, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins, had 20 and 18, respectively, with OKC’s bench outscoring Indiana’s bench 45 to 37. On the defensive side, OKC held Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton to just 17 points, only five of which came in the first three quarters.
Oklahoma City’s Bounce Back First Quarter
After a back-and-forth opening few minutes, OKC would weather Indiana’s aggressive start and finish on a 9-0 run to end the period. Following their poor offensive output in the fourth quarter of their Game One loss, Oklahoma City looked to get their role players involved early. Looking to rectify his subpar performance in Game One, Chet Holmgren set the tone and came out with nine points in just nine minutes. Along with SGA’s six points in the opening period, OKC would lead 26-20 entering the second quarter.
The Battle of Runs in the Second Quarter
The Thunder would carry their momentum into the second quarter with a 19-2 run, extending their lead to 52-29. Aaron Wiggins’ eight-point second quarter sparked the Thunder's surge as others like Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams also fed off this energy with strong second quarters themselves. Indiana, sensing that the game was getting away from them, called a quick timeout with 4:47 in the second. Following the timeout, Indiana went on a 10-0 run of their own with Pacers star forward Pascal Siakam contributing five of his own to cut the lead to 52-39. After a Thunder timeout, they would close the first half on a 7-2 run to give them a 59-41 lead entering the break.
Tightly Contested Third Quarter
Starting strong in the third quarter, Pacers center Myles Turner scored Indiana’s first eight points of the half. Despite the strong offensive start, Indiana could not cut the lead below 14 but never trailed by more than 19. With both teams scoring over 30 in the period, Tyrese Haliburton scored just two points in the quarter as Oklahoma City’s game plan centered around controlling his offensive output. Defensively, Indiana struggled to stop SGA and Jalen Williams, with the two combining for 18 of OKC’s 33 in the third quarter. In the final 4:04, the Thunder would hold off Indiana’s attempts to chip into the lead and outscore them by four to hold a 93-74 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City Pulls Away in the Fourth Quarter
The Oklahoma City Thunder jumped out to a 22-point lead early in the fourth, looking to put Indiana away for good. Holding off efforts from Tyrese Haliburton, OKC held on to a 111-94 lead with 4:00 in the fourth quarter. Indiana would then throw in the white flag, subbing Haliburton and Obi Toppin out to insert their reserves. Although scoring 12 points in the fourth, Halliburton's push was never able to put Indiana within striking distance late in the game. OKC’s reserves would see out the final score of 123-107.
What Does This Mean for The Series Going Forward?
The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the series at 1-1 and showed why they were the NBA’s best team in the regular season, winning 68 games. The Indiana Pacers will travel back to Indiana feeling confident after stealing Game One on the road, hoping to improve their 6-2 record at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this postseason. However, the Pacers will be concerned about Tyrese Haliburton’s slow performances in the first three quarters of Games One and Two, as they will need strong performances from him to edge closer to their franchise’s first NBA title. With Game Three on Wednesday night, the race for three more wins is on after OKC’s dominant win.
