The lowly Indiana Pacers stunningly took down the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-114 at Paycom Center on Friday in an NBA Finals rematch. The Pacers came into this one having suffered four losses in their last five, and withstood a late comeback attempt by the Thunder to come away with the win.
Andrew Nembhard shone for the Pacers with 27 points (10-16 FG), seven rebounds, and 11 assists. Jarace Walker impressed, too, with 26 points (8-15 FG), four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Veteran Pascal Siakam put up 21 points (9-20 FG), six rebounds, and six assists as the Pacers improved to 11-35.
As for the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another magnificent performance, racking up 47 points (17-28 FG), four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Gilgeous-Alexander’s co-star, Chet Holmgren, had 25 points (8-15 FG), 13 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks as well, but it wasn’t enough. The Thunder saw their two-game winning streak snapped here and have now dropped to 37-9.
The Thunder Go Ice-Cold From Three
You’ll tend to be on the losing side when you have a poor night shooting from three, and the Thunder were dismal here. They went 7-26 (26.9%) from beyond the arc against the Pacers, and that is a recipe for disaster. They were especially bad in the second half, going 3-14 (21.4%).
Isaiah Joe has been one of the better shooters in the NBA, but he went 0-5 against the Pacers. Joe had a chance to send the game to overtime right at the end with a three-pointer, but missed. He wasn’t the only Thunder starter to go 0-5 on the night, as Lu Dort did the same.
The Pacers, meanwhile, had no such struggles. They were an excellent 16-38 (42.1%) from three. Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith went 4-7 and 3-5, respectively, from beyond the arc.
Thunder’s Supporting Cast Fails To Step Up
Both teams were short-handed here, with Thunder being without Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Hartenstein. They needed some of their unheralded players to step up and help out Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren, but they didn’t. The Thunder struggled massively whenever their two big guns weren’t on the court.
Dort finished with just two points (1-9 FG) while Joe had seven (2-7 FG). Kenrich Williams and Cason Wallace were the only Thunder players, apart from the two stars, to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 12 (5-8 FG) and 10 points (3-7), respectively.
The supporting cast was at its worst in the fourth quarter. Players not named Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren combined to go 2-8 from the field for the Thunder in the fourth. The reigning MVP was doing all he could, scoring 15 points in the period, but needed more from those around him.
The Pacers Dominate On The Offensive Glass
The Pacers aren’t exactly a dominant rebounding team, but they got the better of the Thunder in that aspect here. They had a 51-41 advantage in rebounding. Notably, they hauled in 14 offensive rebounds compared to just four for the reigning NBA champions.
Guard Johnny Furphy of all people matched the Thunder’s tally with four offensive rebounds. Reserve Micah Potter had four offensive rebounds, too.
Those extra possessions certainly helped. The Pacers ended up attempting 96 shots compared to 82 for the Thunder. That is one way to make up for your opponent shooting 10 more free throws than you.
The Pacers Limit Mistakes
The Thunder excel at forcing turnovers. Coming into this game, their opponents were averaging 17.8 turnovers per game this season, the most in the NBA. The Pacers had to limit their mistakes if they were to win, and they did.
The Pacers only committed 11 turnovers here compared to nine for the Thunder. We saw them take good care of the ball in the 2025 NBA Finals as well, but to do this here without Tyrese Haliburton is quite impressive.
It’s not as if the ball wasn’t moving around either. The Pacers had 34 assists on the night, and they have had more than that in just three other games this season. It was a great offensive showing, even against a depleted Thunder outfit.
