OKLAHOMA CITY -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and posted eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Thunder to a 132-111 win over the Pacers on Saturday night at Paycom Center.
The Thunder have the NBA's best record and improved to 62-12 with their ninth straight win. The Pacers fell to 43-31 with their lead on fourth place in the Eastern Conference shrinking to one game over the fifth-place Pistons.
Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort added 22 points. Guard Isaiah Joe had 19 points with five 3-pointers. Forward Jalen Williams added 18 points. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 18 points. Guard Andrew Nembhard added 16 and forward Obi Toppin had 12.
Here are three observations:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander worked for his points, but still got them
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle talked at length in pre-game about what makes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander such a tough cover and why he seems to be the favorite to win NBA MVP as the regular season winds to a close. He requires so much attention because he can score at every possible level, Carlisle said. He's physically stronger than he's ever been and he can score through contact and if you dedicate multiple players to getting the ball out of his hands, he'll simply find a shooter to tee up for 3.
Gilgeous-Alexander indeed caused the Pacers all of those problems. Guard Andrew Nembhard and forward Aaron Nesmith had the assignment of guarding him throughout the game and they matched his physicality and made him work for his buckets. He was 3 of 11 from the floor in the first half and finished 10 of 23 from the floor for the game. However, he still scored 33 points, because he lived at the foul line, hitting 10 of 12 free throws and he was also 3 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc. He supplemented his own production with eight assists and the Thunder shot 17 of 36 from 3-point range in large part because of the 3-pointers he was teeing up for others.
The Thunder beat the Pacers at their own game
When they're at their best, the Pacers get a lot of their buckets in transition and in the paint. They create turnovers with ball pressure which turn into easy fast-break layups, and they often are able to attack after an opponent's made baskets, and are one of the most effective teams in the league in that regard.
The Thunder turned that approach right around on them, causing turnovers with their top-rated defense and even attacking when the Pacers scored. The Pacers didn't have much answer for their drives -- especially when someone other than Gilgeous-Alexander tried to go to to the rim because they had so much focus on him -- and the Thunder got lots of opportunities off of fastbreaks.
The Thunder outscored the Pacers 58-40 in the paint and 15-7 on fast-break points. They finished 48 of 94 from the floor (51.1%) and posted 1.24 points per possession while the Pacers were 39 of 87 from the floor, 14 of 42 from 3 and posted 1.07 per possession.
Tyrese Haliburton was more aggressive against the Thunder this time
The Pacers' first game against the Thunder this season was one of Tyrese Haliburton's most passive performances of the year and for good reason. The Thunder defended him with Luguentz Dort, one of the toughest, most physical defenders in the league. Haliburton mostly allowed his teammates to play 4-on-4, trying to take him Dort out of the play if he was going to be faceguarded as much as he was. He scored just four points in that game on 2 of 6 shooting in a 120-114 loss.
On Saturday he spent much more time on the attack, hunting 3-point opportunities especially off of ball screens when the ...
