Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 55 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 141-135 double-overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals on Thursday in Indianapolis.
The Thunder played just one overtime game in the 2024-25 regular season, but have played consecutive double-overtime games to begin this season.
Oklahoma City opened its title defense with a double-overtime victory over Houston on Tuesday.
With 22.5 seconds left in double overtime, Obi Toppin looked like he’d come up with a steal on the inbounds play after his layup cut the deficit to four. But officials had granted Oklahoma City a timeout, keeping the ball in the Thunder’s possession.
Gilgeous-Alexander then hit a pair of free throws on the next possession to help Oklahoma City put the game away.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished 15 of 31 from the floor and 23 of 26 from the free-throw line.
Ajay Mitchell added a career-high 26 points off the bench in the win, including five key points in the first overtime.
Benedict Mathurin led the Pacers, who were playing their first game of the season, with 36 points and added 11 rebounds, but fouled out early in the second overtime.
Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard also fouled out for the Pacers.
Pascal Siakam chipped in 32 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists for Indiana.
The Pacers scored the first five points of overtime to match their largest lead of the game.
Oklahoma City responded with a five-point burst to tie it on Mitchell’s three-point play with 1:46 remaining.
The Thunder led by two when Mathurin tied it with a layup with 12.6 seconds left to help force double overtime.
With just less than 13 seconds remaining in regulation, Gilgeous-Alexander headed to the free-throw line with a chance to put the Thunder up three, but he missed his second free throw to give the Pacers a chance to tie it without needing a 3.
Moments later, Siakam, who had missed a 3-pointer badly on Indiana’s previous possession, this time drained a 21-foot pull-up jumper over Chet Holmgren to tie it with 6.8 seconds remaining.
Gilgeous-Alexander missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Oklahoma City made 9 of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter, but both misses were by Gilgeous-Alexander in the final 3:10, allowing the Pacers to stay in the game.
–Field Level Media
