Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Clutch Win Against Pacers

Individual scoring brilliance and team ball security secured the Thunder its 24th win in 29 official games.

Dec 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder erased a 15-point deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 120-114 Thursday night. The Thunder has won a season-high nine straight regular-season games, moving to 8-0 against Eastern Conference teams in official matchups.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander swished a difficult 3-pointer over Bennedict Mathurin's outstretched right hand to put Oklahoma City up by five points with 58 seconds remaining. His clutch-time heroics also included six made intentional free throws and a mid-range jumper two minutes before — which ended a 7-0 Pacers run.

Jalen Williams recorded 20 points on 22 shots, Isaiah Hartenstein tallied 11 points and 13 rebounds and Ajay Mitchell contributed nine points on 4-for-5 shooting off the bench. Six Pacers scored in double digits, led by Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam with 23 and 22 points, respectively.

Factor	Thunder	Pacers
Points	120	114
Effective FG%	53.2%	55.1%
Turnovers	3	11
Offensive Rebounds	9	11
Free Throws	19-for-24	16-for-22

Let's dive into three takeaways from the Thunder's gutsy road victory against the Pacers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivers his best performance of the season

Hesitation dribbles into layup after layup. Smooth mid-range pull-ups. Timely 3-pointers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brought all his ingredients to the table in Indiana, racking up a career-high 45 points on 15-for-22 shooting. He shot 4-for-5 on triples and 11-for-11 at the line, passed eight assists, hauled in seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

The back-to-back All-NBA First Team guard converted 13 of his final 14 field goals, including all three fourth-quarter attempts. He penetrated the Pacers' defense effectively for five makes in the restricted area, adding six mid-range shots shaded to the right side of the court.

"For the most part of the game, I just hoop," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I just take what the defense gives me — going up and down the floor, trying to be aggressive. But late game, I definitely try to manage possessions, try to be cerebral in my attack based on how the defense is gonna guard me."

Gilgeous-Alexander has now recorded consecutive 40-point games after a 41-point outburst against the Washington Wizards at home four days ago. He has increased his scoring average to 31.1 points per game, which ranks second in the NBA behind Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.7).

"I feel kinda numb when he plays like this, because it happens pretty often," Jalen Williams said. "He's fallen into that category where it's expected, but we definitely appreciate it as well."

Grueling start to the game, but a strong finish

Indiana hit the visiting Thunder with a 10-0 punch containing two Pascal Siakam triples to start the night, before ballooning their advantage to 15 points through eight minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander scored six points on 2-for-8 shooting in the first quarter, with his teammates combining to shoot 5-for-19 from the floor. The period included nine missed triples — including three from Isaiah Joe, who is 4-for-21 on 3-pointers in his last five official games.

"They played way faster than us in the first quarter, and I wanted to match that level of intensity," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Once we got stops and were able to get out in transition, I saw the opportunity to play fast, get downhill and just be aggressive."

Oklahoma City clawed back throughout the second quarter but did not take its first lead until Hartenstein swished a floater three minutes into the second half. The teams were separated by one point after three quarters and experienced seven lead changes in the final frame, with Gilgeous-Alexander providing a clutch boost the Pacers could not ultimately match.

"Thought we did a great job fighting back multiple times," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "That's part of what Indiana does to you with their pace and just the way they can score in bunches. They create a lot of variance in the game, so you've gotta stay level and keep playing the possession in front of you. I thought we did that multiple times tonight."

A two-way ball security masterclass

Jalen Williams committed an offensive foul and out-of-bounds pass on consecutive possessions in the game's third minute, as the Thunder struggled to get its eighth-ranked offense going early. Oklahoma City had recorded more turnovers than made shots at that point but picked up just one more in the next 45 minutes. Three giveaways tied the opening-night Boston Celtics for the year's lowest single-game output.

Indiana turned the ball over 11 times, the second-fewest of any Thunder opponent this season, with just two in the first half. Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard were the only Pacers with multiple turnovers, and each recorded at least as many assists. Both teams relied on quality shotmaking and just enough offensive rebounds to try and outlast the other.

The 2024-25 Thunder remains on pace to accumulate more total steals than turnovers, improving its differential to plus-9 during Thursday night's win. The 2022-23 Toronto Raptors finished with 184 more turnovers than steals, which is the current differential record. Time will tell if Oklahoma City's historic defensive playmaking can hold all season.

Tonight's biggest takeaway: the first letters of each section.

The Thunder plays its second straight road game against the Charlotte Hornets tomorrow at 5 p.m. CST.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.