Catching a zip pass from Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam threw down the loud transition dunk to push Indiana’s lead to 16 points with less than four minutes left. OKC called a timeout and cleared its bench as it was on its way to its third straight loss.
The short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a 126-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The loss marked the first three-game losing skid of the season for the Thunder, who were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
“We just didn’t have enough good possessions tonight to win the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “I thought we had good stretches tonight. We gave ourselves a couple of different chances there. Took an early lead, did a good job in the third of climbing back into the game.”
Both teams exchanged points at a fast rate in the opening quarter. The Thunder built a 24-15 lead before the Pacers closed the first frame strongly to cut OKC’s lead to 32-31 at the end of the period.
A 25-5 first-half run by Indiana saw it flip the scoreboard and lead by 10 points with over eight minutes left in the second frame. But before the Pacers could add to their lead, the Thunder rattled off nine straight points to slice it into a one-point deficit with a little under seven minutes left in the first half.
In a quarter of massive swings, the Pacers went on a 12-1 run to create a 59-47 lead with 4:45 left in the second frame. In total, they scored 38 points in the second quarter. Indiana entered halftime with a 69-59 lead over OKC.
The Thunder kept it competitive in the third quarter and utilized a 12-2 run to turn it into an 82-80 deficit with a little under five minutes left in the frame. But the Pacers once again ballooned their lead back with a 31-point third frame. After three quarters, the Thunder couldn’t eat into their halftime deficit and entered the final frame in a 100-89 hole.
The Thunder managed to cut it into a single-digit deficit a couple of times in the fourth quarter, but never seriously threatened the Pacers with a comeback attempt. Indiana’s 26-point final frame kept a healthy distance on the scoreboard until the final buzzer.
It took until April and a tough road stretch against three probable playoff teams, but the Thunder have finally lost three consecutive contests this year. The absences of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams have been felt louder as OKC endures its season-long five-game road trip.
“It’s good for us to get this all out before the postseason,” Kenrich Williams said on OKC’s three-game loss skid. “When you go through adversity, it brings something out of you. You just gotta keep chipping away.”
The Thunder shot 49% from the field but went a cold 8-of-30 (26.7%) from 3. They went 20-of-24 from the free-throw line. They dished out 24 assists on 42 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Lu Dort led the way with 22 points. Chet Holmgren was limited to 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds and three blocks. Josh Giddey had a near 14-point triple-double.
“These tough stretches build character and they strain you and they force you to respond,” Daigneault said. “We have a team that has made it into a habit of responding and I have no doubt we will.”
Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 52% from the field and went a hot 15-of-35 (42.9%) from 3. They shot 19-of-21 from the free-throw line. They had 30 assists on 46 baskets. It was an evenly-distributed offensive outing as six Pacers players scored double-digit points.
Siakam had 21 points and five rebounds. Myles Turner had 16 points and three rebounds. T.J. McConnell collected a 16-point and 10-assist double-double off the bench. Tyrese Haliburton had a modest eight points and 11 assists. Aaron Nesmith totaled 17 points and Toppin scored 15 points.
The outside shot proved to be a major difference between both squads. Indiana outscored OKC by 21 points on 3-pointers alone in a 14-point margin.
As the Thunder hope Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams return soon, they’re likely locked for the third seed with less than two weeks left in the regular season. It’s been a rough stretch as OKC’s suffered its first extensive loss streak of the year, but the health of its top two players prioritizes seeding.
“The timetable is dictated by how they respond to the recovery and that whole process,” Daigneault said about the duo’s injuries. “It’s a quad contusion; Dub’s an ankle sprain. We just gotta let the timetable play out and we’ll see how they feel. They’re both making progress.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Josh Giddey: B
It’s been a strong month-plus for Giddey and it’s continued against the Pacers despite the loss.
In 35 minutes, Giddey finished with 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting, 12 assists and nine rebounds. The 21-year-old was OKC’s primary ball-handler once more and turned in encouraging results.
The floaters didn’t fall for him, but each time he attacked the basket on drives, it yielded positive points for OKC. The 21-year-old scored six points in OKC’s opening frame, which was its best of the night.
It’s hard to take too much away from these last three games considering the Thunder were without their two best players, but Giddey’s aggression and string of quality outings might be the brightest spot. It looks like the third-year guard has found a rhythm after an adventurous start to his season.
Lu Dort: B-plus
Without Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, Dort was given extra offensive opportunities. To his credit, he’s stepped up in this three-game stretch without OKC’s top two players.
In 32 minutes, Dort finished with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He shot 2-of-7 from 3 and went 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
The 24-year-old sliced through Indiana’s defense as he shot a perfect 6-of-6 inside the paint. A strong first frame of seven points led OKC to its most productive period. On the other end, he limited Haliburton to eight points on eight shots. The All-Star starter didn’t score his first basket until the third quarter.
Considering the circumstances, Dort deserves to be applauded for holding his own and chipping in on the offensive end when OKC desperately needed scores in this three-game stretch. The 24-year-old has been superb for the Thunder this season.
Kenrich Williams: A-plus
With the Thunder lacking scoring options, Williams stepped up off the bench. He finished with a season-high 18 points on perfect 7-of-7 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.
The veteran wing started the second half with the starters as Gordon Hayward left after 13 minutes due to lower leg soreness. Williams took advantage of the opportunity with 14 points in the second half.
As the calendar flips to April, Williams is playing some of his best basketball of the season. The 3-point shot is falling for him at a great clip. If that continues in the playoffs, he can be a pivotal rotation wing for OKC.
“Offensively, we played solid,” Williams said. “Defensively, they got some easy looks in transition and they’re a great team in transition. They score the ball very well.”
Dort added about Williams: “He’s big, he’s our glue guy. He’s always gonna bring a lot of energy on the court and you never know what his stat line is gonna be, but you know he’s gonna bring a lot of effort and toughness to the game.”
Chet Holmgren: C
Trying to create space on a drive, Holmgren accidentally elbowed Ben Sheppard, which forced the officials to call a third foul on the seven-footer in the final seconds of the first quarter.
The three quick fouls threw Holmgren off his rhythm for the rest of the game. He finished with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds and three blocks. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Holmgren couldn’t contain the Pacers’ high-octane offense in this road loss. The outside shot didn’t fall enough for him either as he struggled to score points. Without Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, defenses have been allowed to focus more on the rookie center.
Lindy Waters III: A
This was the best game of the season for Waters III, who’s gone back and forth between the Thunder and G League’s OKC Blue.
Waters III scored a season-high 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench. He did a good job at staying active on both ends of the floor.
The outside shot didn’t fall as he went 1-of-5, but the scoring was needed for the Thunder as they tried to keep up with one of the best offenses in the league.
“Lindy’s been doing a great job of that all season, going up and down with the G League, he’s been doing great at that,” Dort said about Waters III. “It just shows how deep the team is and how much talent we got.”
