Indiana Pacers get back on track with impressive win over Oklahoma City Thunder

Indiana hosted Oklahoma City on Friday night

Apr 5, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Smith (25) shoots the ball / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night in a key battle between the two teams. Both groups lost on Wednesday and are in tight seeding battles in their respective conferences.

Oklahoma City was missing multiple key players while Myles Turner returned from injury for the blue and gold. The Pacers had health on their side, but they needed to take advantage of the situation. They haven't always been able to do that this season.

Early in the action, the two teams traded buckets. After three minutes of play, the Pacers were ahead 9-8 , but each squad was playing flimsy defense. Whichever group was able to get consistent stops first was going to surge ahead.

That ended up being the Thunder, who were able to climb ahead 15-11. Their rim pressure was tough for the Pacers to contain, and Indiana took a timeout at that moment. Head coach Rick Carlisle wanted to talk things over with his team.

Coming out of the stoppage, the Thunder kept rolling. They were up by nine with 5:29 to go in the first period, and Carlisle took another timeout. His team wasn't playing well at all, especially on the defensive end.

They were slightly better coming out of the second stoppage, but they were still struggling to get stops and play their game in transition. The Thunder were battling on the offensive end and kept applying pressure despite being short handed.

Late in the quarter, the Pacers fought back thanks to excellent play on both ends from backup point guard T.J. McConnell. He got his team in motion on both ends and had two points and three assists in the first period.

His success guided the blue and gold to a 9-0 run in the final 2:08 of the first period, and it was 32-31 in favor of the Thunder at the time. Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam each had six points for Indiana at the time.

The Pacers reclaimed the lead early in the second frame, but they needed to keep pushing. OKC showed early that they can go on a run at any time. Chet Holmgren was on the bench for the visitors with three fouls — the Pacers needed to take advantage.

Carlisle's team did well to preserve their momentum. Outside shots kept dropping, and their defensive level improved from their early game performance. With 8:55 to go in the first half, Indiana led 45-37.

That edge remained similar for the next five-ish minutes. Indiana got hot from deep, and the Thunder cooled off from just about everywhere. With three minutes to go until halftime, the Pacers were up 59-51. They finally looked like the healthier squad.

They held that advantage into halftime. At the break, Indiana was ahead 69-59. Turner and Jalen Smith each had 12 points at the break for the hosts. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 38-27 in the second period.

The second half opened with impressive play from the Thunder, who were scoring on almost every possession. But the Pacers were answering with three-point shots, which kept their lead above 10 for the first few minutes of the half. They needed to up their defensive level, though — OKC looked threatening.

Instead, Oklahoma City kept slowly chipping at their deficit. Their offense was strong for the first half of the third period, and the visitors were down 82-75 with 5:55 to go in that frame.

Around that time, Smith went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury. He was reaching for his left heel area after fighting for a rebound, and he asked out of the game. The backup five man went back to the locker room and was replaced by Isaiah Jackson. It was a blow for Indiana.

Not long after that change, it was a one-possession game at 82-80. The Thunder were on a 12-2 run and were making things interesting again. Tyrese Haliburton hit a three for the blue and gold to stop the bleeding, but they needed to be better, particularly on defense.

Over the next few minutes, they found another gear. Haliburton hit another shot, Jackson made plays, and Obi Toppin was effective on both ends. With about 90 seconds to go in the third frame, Indiana went back up by 11.

After the third period, the Pacers led 100-89. Haliburton hit a tough three at the buzzer to extend his team's lead. Siakam and Turner each had 16 points for the blue and gold at the time.

To open the final frame, the Pacers bench was fantastic. McConnell was doing his thing on both ends, and other Indiana reserves were filling up the nets off of his passes. The blue and gold took an 18-point lead early in the quarter.

The Thunder were able to slowly chip at that advantage over the next few minutes, and there was a stoppage with seven minutes to go in the game with the Pacers up 111-98. Indiana's bench did well to hold off Oklahoma City's starters and maintain a big lead.

The Pacers starting five re-entered the game at that time. They had a chance to put the game away over the next few minutes if they were able to play well. The unit was well rested and had 40 minutes of game knowledge to extend their lead.

With five minutes left in the action, Indiana was ahead 115-104. They hadn't quite put the game to rest, but they were getting close. Aaron Nesmith hit a big triple to get his team some momentum just after that instant.

They were able to coast down the stretch. The Thunder cut their deficit down to 11 with about two minutes to go, but Nesmith put the game away with a driving layup on the ensuing possession. Indiana was going to win.

The final score was 126-112 in favor of the Pacers. They improved to 44-34 with the victory and remained in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They still control their own destiny for a playoff berth.

Haliburton finished with eight points and 11 assists. He set the Pacers single-season record for assists in a season during the game. Siakam added 21 points, and Nesmith had 17. It was a balanced effort from the blue and gold.

Indiana next plays on Sunday when they host the Miami Heat in what is a massive game given the standings.

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