Late Thunder Run Helps OKC Pull Away and Defeat the Pacers

It took quite a while, but the Thunder managed to secure win No. 24 on the road against a team its struggled to defeat in the past.

Dec 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks to pass the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

So far this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder haven't had issues getting out to slow starts. In a 120-114 win against the Indiana Pacers, a poor shooting start and a large early deficit set OKC back from the gun. A late run and help from throughout the roster pushed them first over the finish line at the game's end.

The Thunder went 3-for-17 in the first quarter and trailed 29-19 at its end. It took OKC just under nine minutes to reach double-digit points, a signal of its poor offensive performance in the first quarter. Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 2-for-8 in the first period, another recent for the early deficit. He quickly turned it around, finishing with 22 points in the first half and 45 as the buzzer final buzzer sounded.

Three-point shooting continues to be an area of challenge for the Thunder. OKC shot 13-for-37 from the perimeter, just breaching its season average of 34.9%.

Oklahoma City went on a small to start the second quarter with perimeter help from guards Jalen Williams and Lu Dort. Both nailed threes and, paired with a perfect trip to the free throw line from rookie Ajay Mitchell, had the Thunder trailing by only five points. That small difference would not last long.

All game, whether it went in or not, Indiana had no problems getting inside to create great shot attempts against OKC's notoriously strong defense. Indiana's backup point guard, T.J. McConnell, frequently found himself open around the rim, as did Andrew Nembhard and Benedict Mathurin in the mid-range area.

A late quarter surge from Gileous-Alexander would narrow the amount OKC trailed by to eight points, losing 61-53.

Not one player jumped out on the stat sheet for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam, Nembhard and Mathurin all scored in double digits in the starting lineup, with Siakam finishing with 22 points, Nembhard with 23 and Mathurin with 18.

OKC quickly narrowed that deficit to start the second half and made the rest of the game a dogfight. Though the score was closer, Oklahoma City never managed to take the lead in the third quarter. On the flip side, it did just enough not to allow the Pacers to pull away. This was the case for most of the quarter.

Indiana switched to a zone defense to counter OKC's lack of perimeter scoring late in the third quarter. After a possession with effective ball movement, Dort found himself wide open in the right corner with a triple to tie the game. A bucket at the rim from Gilgeous-Alexander and a second-chance score from Dort gave OKC an 83-79 lead with 103 to play in the third. After all that effort, two straight makes from forward Jarace Walker put the Pacers back on top, but the Thunder were right back in it.

The Pacers got a great scoring boost off its bench from Walker and McConnell. Walker finished the night with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and McConnell with 13 on 6-for-9 shooting. Early in the fourth quarter and late in the third, Walker came up with multiple impactful buckets.

Both squads exchanged buckets down the stretch of the fourth quarter. Neither team managed to pull away until the Thunder did with under a minute to play. A triple from Gilgeous-Alexander and multiple efficient trips to the free throw line from Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander and center Isaiah Hartenstein helped the Thunder form and extend a lead.

After a narrow victory over the Pacers, Oklahoma City travels to Charlotte on Saturday, Dec. 26 to play the Hornets at 5:00 p.m. ET.

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