SGA Drops 55 as OKC Survives 2OT Thriller vs. Pacers
Alta Sports3 days ago
The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a hard-fought win over the Indiana Pacers in double-overtime, 141-135, Friday morning (Manila time) at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a masterclass, exploding for a career-high 55 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists, carrying Oklahoma City to its second straight victory to open the season.
Down by two with 11.8 seconds left in regulation, the ball found Pascal Siakam, who calmly buried a long jumper to tie the game at 113. On the following possession, the reigning Most Valuable Player had a chance to win it with a deep three, but his attempt missed badly as time expired.
In the final 10 seconds of overtime, Gilgeous-Alexander had another opportunity to ice the game, but his acrobatic shot wouldn’t fall.
Double overtime was where the Thunder finally created separation, stringing together three unanswered buckets capped by a dagger three from Aaron Wiggins. Moments later, Chet Holmgren’s putback appeared to be blocked, but officials ruled goaltending, extending the lead to 137-131. Two clutch free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander sealed the deal.
Despite missing key players, the Pacers refused to back down. Indiana played without franchise star Tyrese Haliburton, who is expected to miss the entire 2025–26 season after tearing his Achilles in last year’s Finals, as well as veteran guard TJ McConnell, sidelined for at least a month with a hamstring injury.
Siakam led the charge for Indiana, finishing with 32 points and 15 rebounds, keeping the game competitive from start to finish despite the short-handed rotation.
With the win, the Thunder improve to 2-0 early in the season, while the Pacers drop their season opener and will look to bounce back when they face the Memphis Grizzlies next.
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