OKLAHOMA City Thunder ensured they maintained their lead until the end, achieving a 123-107 victory against Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night (Monday in the Philippines) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander starred with 34 points, including an 11-of-12 shooting from the free-throw line, along with eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals, leading the Thunder to tie the series at 1-1.
Alex Caruso contributed 20 points, Jalen Williams added 19 points, while Aaron Wiggins and Chet Holmgren chipped in with 18 and 15 points, respectively, for the Thunder.
“We know with them (defense) is where it starts,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “They’re a high powered offense, they play fast, score a bunch of points and if you don’t get stops you end up running all game and they can beat you that way.”
From a slim 26-20 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Thunder began to pull away in the second quarter, led by Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, to establish a 59-41 halftime advantage.
The Pacers attempted to rally in the second half, but the Thunder, spearheaded by Gilgeous-Alexander, extended their lead to 20 points.
“There were a lot of things tonight that we were just a little better in and more comfortable. That was on both ends of the floor. I thought the guys did a good job of just improving,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
“I think everyone played better individually and I thought we played better collectively,” he added. “We were just a little bit better in a lot of different areas [in Game 2]”
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 17 points, while Myles Turner and Paskal Siakam added 16 and 15 points, respectively. Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin each contributed 14 points, and Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell both scored 11 points./PN
BOX SCORE:
OKLAHOMA CITY 123 — Gilgeous-Alexander 34, Caruso 20, Jal. Williams 19, Wiggins 18, Holmgren 15, Wallace 4, Dort 3, Hartenstein 3, Jay. Williams 3, Joe 2, Mitchell 2, K. Williams 0, Jones 0, Dieng 0.
INDIANA 107 — Haliburton 17, Turner 16, Siakam 15, Nesmith 14, Mathurin 14, Nembhard 11, McConnell 11, Toppin 3, Sheppard 3, Johnson 2, Bryant 1, Furphy 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20; 59-41; 93-74; 123-107.
