Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have dug themselves a hole to climb out of after losing Game 3 on the road to Indiana (107-116 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse). The reigning MVP had an arguably off night in Game 3 as the Pacers covered him full court almost throughout the game.
He finished the game with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks while shooting 9 of 20 from the floor and 33% from the three-point line (1 of 3). Following their practice on the day after Game 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke to the media about how he plans to tackle the Pacers’ defense.
“Yeah, you got to suck it up. You have to. There’s maximum four games left in the season. And it’s what you work the whole season for. It’s what you work all summer for. So the way, to me, the way i see it is, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in three games played so far in this series. The reporter’s question was mainly focused on the Pacers’ physicality and how they were statistically picking Gilgeous-Alexander up much higher on the court than teams usually did.
Gilgeous-Alexander, as the reigning MVP of the league, should anticipate this by now that he would be on top of his opponent’s scouting reports every gameday. Therefore, this type of defensive attention is something he’s used to. The only test here is whether, on the biggest stage of his career so far, Gilgeous-Alexander will be able to find a way to tackle a very physical defense.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Tied Michael Jordan And LeBron James On Elite List In Thunder Series
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the Thunder to a historic season filled also with his individual accomplishments. This is the Thunder’s first visit to the NBA finals since 2012 after recording the most wins in a single regular season in their own history.
Following Gilgeous-Alexander’s Game 2 performance, he tied Michael Jordan and LeBron James for most games in a single Playoff season with 30 points and 5 assists (11 games).
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He stuffed the box score and finished Game 2 with 34 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. In Game 3, however, the Pacers found a way to slow him down and ended his streak of consecutive games in the Playoffs with 30 points or more (at 4 games).
His key matchup on the Pacers has been Andrew Nembhard or Ben Sheppard, both of whom impressed Haliburton with their minutes guarding the reigning MVP. Moreover, it was Pascal Siakam who picked up the matchup with Gilgeous-Alexander in a clutch play, which arguably changed the momentum of the game completely in the Pacers’ favor.
The Pacers are 11 points per 100 possessions better on defense when Pascal Siakam is on the floor. Ranks in the 99th percentile.
Watch him guard SGA on this crucial possession. Wow. pic.twitter.com/CqEqcVV41i
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) June 12, 2025
Therefore, the Pacers seem to have found a way to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander. Will he be able to fight back in Game 4? Or will the famous saying ‘defense wins you championships’ be proved correct once again?
