Thunder-Pacers: SGA scores 34 as OKC win Game 2 of NBA Finals

Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City power 2nd crippled against Indiana Pacers to level NBA Finals series.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander learned a acquisition to unfastened the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.

“You can’t conscionable propulsion the archetypal punch,” Gilgeous-Alexander said aft Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the visiting Indiana Pacers connected Sunday night. “You’ve got to propulsion each the punches each night.”

Gilgeous-Alexander and the remainder of the Thunder threw plentifulness of haymakers, helping their broadside to a 123-107 triumph to adjacent the bid 1-1 going into Wednesday’s Game 3 successful Indianapolis.

That was a departure from Game 1 past Thursday, erstwhile the Thunder led by 15 successful the 4th fourth earlier Indiana came backmost to triumph the crippled 111-110 connected a handbasket successful the last second.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the mode connected Sunday for Oklahoma City, scoring 34 with 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals, and went 11-of-12 connected escaped throws.

There were plentifulness of areas of betterment from Game 1 for Thunder manager Mark Daigneault to constituent retired aft the victory.

Oklahoma City had much occurrence turning Indiana’s turnovers into points astatine the different end, got amended accumulation from Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, had astir treble the assists aft posting a season-low 13 successful Game 1, and got an violative spark disconnected the seat from Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins.

Daigneault said nary of those unsocial was the difference-maker, but each came unneurotic for a overmuch amended effect for his team.

“I deliberation we were conscionable a small spot amended successful a batch of areas,” Daigneault said.

Tyrese Haliburton (#0) led the Indiana Pacers with a team-high 17 points successful Game 2 [Nathaniel S Butler/Getty Images via AFP]

The biggest agelong of the crippled came successful the 2nd quarter, erstwhile the Thunder ripped disconnected a 19-2 tally fuelled by their defence and Gilgeous-Alexander’s finishes connected the different end.

To that point, Oklahoma City’s defence had not forced galore turnovers, and it had not taken vantage of the fewer it had caused.

But during that large run, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 7 of Oklahoma City’s past 9 points – each disconnected Pacers’ turnovers.

Indiana rapidly answered with a 10-0 tally to marque it 52-39, but ne'er got person than that 13-point deficit.

The Thunder outscored the Pacers 26-12 successful the overgarment successful the archetypal fractional and, for the series, present pb 88-68 successful that category.

“They’re the champion squad successful the league astatine keeping the shot retired of there,” Pacers manager Rick Carlisle said. “It’s a pugnacious task.”

In Game 1, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren combined to sprout conscionable 8-of-28 from the floor, with Holmgren going conscionable 2-for-9 with six points.

Holmgren looked overmuch much settled aboriginal connected successful Game 2, hitting 5 consecutive shots aft missing his archetypal of the game.

While Williams was not overly efficient, scoring 19 points connected 5-of-14 shooting, helium did spell 8-for-9 astatine the escaped propulsion enactment and added 5 assists.

Holmgren finished with 15 points, portion Caruso added 20 and Wiggins 18 disconnected the bench.

Tyrese Haliburton, the prima of Game 1 aft hitting the winning changeable successful the last second, led the Pacers with 17 points, though 12 of those came successful the last 4th with the crippled reasonably good successful manus for Oklahoma City.

Over the archetypal 2 games of the series, Haliburton is simply a combined 3-for-9 with 9 points earlier half-time.

“I person to fig retired however to beryllium amended astatine the opening of games,” Haliburton said. “Kudos to them; they are a large antiaircraft team.”

A large portion of the Thunder’s antiaircraft occurrence against Haliburton has been acknowledgment to Luguentz Dort. He has spent plentifulness of clip guarding Haliburton but was connected the other broadside of the level for Haliburton’s Game 1 winner.

Dort finished with conscionable 3 points, though Caruso gave him plentifulness of recognition for the victory.

“He knows the relation helium needs to play for america to triumph the bid and prime up that trophy astatine the end,” Caruso said.

Myles Turner added 16 for Indiana, portion Pascal Siakam scored 15 points connected 3-of-11 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander, centre, of the Oklahoma City Thunder scored a game-high 34 points successful Game 2 successful summation to 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals [William Purnell/Getty Images via AFP]