Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops 55 in second straight double OT win as OKC Thunder outlast Indiana Pacers in NBA Finals rematch

By Frank Nunns O’Connell, CNN

(CNN) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a career-high 55 points as the Thunder outlasted the Indiana Pacers 141-135 on Thursday in what was Oklahoma City’s second straight double-overtime victory to begin the season.

In a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals – which went the full seven games – the two squads proved again that there was little to separate them as neither led by more than seven points in the 58-minute affair.

Although the reigning MVP blew up on the night, he was supported by Aaron Wiggins’ 23 points and nine rebounds and Ajay Mitchell’s career-best 26 points off the bench for the Thunder – who were missing key players such as Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso.

Meanwhile, the Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers were led by Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam, who each had a double-double and combined for 68 points in what was Indiana’s opening game of the NBA season.

And it was Siakam who came up clutch at the end of regulation. With seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Thunder leading 113-111, the Cameroonian forward stepped back over Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren to sink a high-arching, 22-foot jumper that sparked a roar from the Indiana crowd. Gilgeous-Alexander then missed a pull-up triple, sending the game to OT.

The opening overtime period gave SGA the chance to prove why he is the reigning MVP, sinking a clutch step back jumper to give the Thunder a two-point lead with 26.4 remaining and briefly silence the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But the Pacers rallied again, this time behind the silky touch of Mathurin. The fourth-year guard faked his way past his fellow Canadian Gilgeous-Alexander and stepped through to lay in his 36th point of the game, tying the affair at 124-124 with 0:13 remaining.

And after Gilgeous-Alexander was once again wide of the mark on another attempted game winner, OKC was once again set for double OT.

Controversy then struck with under 30 seconds left.

With the Thunder leading 139-135 with 22.1 seconds remaining in the game, it appeared Pacers forward Obi Toppin had stolen an errant inbound pass, but the officials conceded a timeout called by the OKC bench, much to the anger of Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle.

The Thunder – who became the first team in NBA history to begin a season with double overtimes in their first two games – then sealed the victory when Gilgeous-Alexander was fouled and sunk the ensuing free throws to make it 141-135.

After the game, Carlisle was apoplectic, telling reporters: “I’m not talking about the refs. If I talk about the refs, I will be fined an exorbitant amount of money.”

“They just kept marching to the free throw line,” he said regarding the Thunder’s ability to get to the line. “When that happens it takes the pace out of the game. It becomes difficult to get shots.

“They shot 51 free throws. That’s at least 25 times where we’re unable to get any tempo going because we’re standing there and they’re setting their defense up. They did some good things to get to the line, but I’m not going to talk about the refs.”

“I’m tired, but it’s expected,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, speaking to reporters post-game.

“It’s a good way to break the ice on the season, shake the rust off, kind of bust the lungs up, get my cardio back.

“It’s not ideal, four extra overtimes in two games, but we’ll take two W’s.”

Warriors beat Nuggets, despite Gordon’s 50

Also on Thursday, the Golden State Warriors got an OT win of their own as they beat the Denver Nuggets 137-131 behind Steph Curry’s 42 points.

The four-time NBA champion – who also had six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block – scored 35 points in the second half and OT to take the Warriors to 2-0 on the season.

Curry’s heroics beat back an immense 50-point game from Denver’s Aaron Gordon, who tied a record set by Terry Rozier in 2020 for the most threes in a season opener by making 10 triples.

“It sucks,” Gordon said, according to the Associated Press.

“They were asking if I wanted the game ball. No. I don’t want to take the L with me. It sucks. But it’s one game. It’s our first game.”

The-CNN-Wire
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