Gifted possession following a successful coaches challenge, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a chance to tie or take the lead against the Indiana Pacers.
With 14.1 seconds left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the inbound pass and worked his way to his spot on the right baseline. Backing up Bennedict Mathurin, his post-up turnaround jump shot ricocheted off the rim.
A tough miss.
This was the key possession for the Thunder as they frustratingly lost to the Pacers, 121-117.
“The weight of these games certainly weighs on the team in the locker room,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “And that’s a good thing. We learn a lot about ourselves and be able to look very cleared eye in the mirror when it’s all said and done — no matter where we end up… We’re gonna learn from all these experiences. I think we’ll grow from them regardless of whether we come out on top.”
Trailing the Thunder by four points entering the fourth quarter, the Pacers started the final frame on a 20-8 run that created an eight-point lead. The Thunder managed to eventually retake the lead, but a 31-23 fourth-quarter scoring advantage for the Pacers aided them in the upset win.
The Thunder struggled to defend the short-handed Pacers. Indiana got off to a hot start with 36 first-quarter points. Overall, the Pacers shot 45-of-98 (45.9%) from the field and went 12-of-41 (29.3%) from 3 — a normally bad night from deep that looked great in comparison to OKC’s.
The Thunder went 42-of-88 (47.7%) from the field and enjoyed a busy night from the free-throw line with 29-of-34 (85.3%) shooting. But what attributed to the loss was OKC’s awful night from 3 — where they shot 4-of-30 (13.3%).
According to Basketball Reference, the Thunder are the only team this season that’s had a game where they shot 13.3% or below from 3 on at least 30 attempts.
Funny enough, it’s happened twice this season for the Thunder.
In the loss, Gilgeous-Alexander was fantastic for the Thunder after missing two consecutive games dealing with an ankle sprain. He finished with an efficient 39 points on 22 shots.
With the Pacers missing their two best players Tyrese Haliburton (ankle sprain) and Myles Turner (back soreness), it was an evenly-distributed scoring night. Seven of the nine Pacers scored at least 12 points, with the highest scorer only having 21 points.
Off the bench, T.J. McConnell couldn’t miss in the midrange as he finished with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists. A near triple-double for the reserve guard has jeopardized OKC’s playoff chances.
The Pacers’ rookie starting backcourt also paid a large role in this disappointing loss for the Thunder. Mathurin finished with 15 points and four rebounds; Andrew Nembhard had 18 points and six assists.
After escaping the depleted Detroit Pistons with a one-point win, the Thunder’s recent struggles continue to show in this four-point loss to the struggling Pacers.
The loss closes the gap between the Thunder and the 11th-placed Dallas Mavericks, who now trail by just 0.5 games (but OKC essentially owns a 1.5-game lead due to owning the tiebreaker).
“Can’t let one game get you down. We’ve got Phoenix on Sunday, who’s one of the better teams in the league,” Josh Giddey said. “We got to put this in the past and come ready to play.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A+
In his return from a two-game absence dealing with an ankle sprain, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was superb for the Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 39 points on 11-of-22 shooting and went a perfect 17-of-17 from the free-throw line. He also had nine rebounds and four assists.
His impact was immediately felt as Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 first-quarter points on 5-of-7 shooting.
With 14.1 seconds to go, Gilgeous-Alexander had a chance to hit the game-tying or go-ahead basket for the Thunder. Alas, a baseline turnaround jumper — his signature move — hit rim and missed.
While he scored eight fourth-quarter points, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled from the field on 1-of-5 shooting — which included two missed 3-pointers, his only attempts from outside.
Gilgeous-Alexander eventually fouled out as he played the final five minutes with five fouls. After making it a one-point game, he fouled Mathurin with six seconds remaining.
All Gilgeous-Alexander’s final foul did was extend the game, as Mathurin knocked down both free throws to ice the upset.
Steal ➡️ dime ➡️ jam 😳@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/dSBjiszuO7
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2023
SGA is goin' hard in the paint 🎨@okcthunder | #ThunderUp | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/HDxPdzYu3x
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 31, 2023
🔨🔨🔨 pic.twitter.com/j8htTiK4zG
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 31, 2023
Josh Giddey: B
Josh Giddey was the Thunder’s only other 20-point scorer as he finished with 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists.
Giddey conducted most of his scoring inside of the paint, where he had 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting. In a close fourth quarter, Giddey struggled to get his shot going as he went 0-for-5 from the field and scored a single point.
Stop and slam! pic.twitter.com/UdWbnNJgAc
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2023
All gas on the breaks! ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/HaFlAFlWrr
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 31, 2023
Jalen Williams: B-
Playing more of a passive role, Jalen Williams finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. After six points in the first quarter, he was held to eight points for the remainder of the game.
Games like these are where you’d like to see Williams take a more aggressive approach with his shot creation. With everybody outside of Gilgeous-Alexander struggling to score, Williams could’ve provided a boost.
Perhaps the conservative approach had to do with the fact Williams played with five fouls for the final eight minutes of the game. Not wanting to risk fouling out, he was likely more hesitant about embracing contact.
Giddey ➡️ Joe ➡️ J-Dub@okcthunder | #ThunderUp | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/0WzDTuTwD2
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) April 1, 2023
Throw it 🆙 pic.twitter.com/yHg1vueOR6
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 31, 2023
Aaron Wiggins: B
For a second consecutive game, Aaron Wiggins provided the juice off the bench for the Thunder.
In 28 minutes, Wiggins finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 1-of-2 from 3.
This included seven points in the second quarter that helped the Thunder score 61 first-half points.
Wiggins just giving us a tour of downtown (;
There's a new option to watch the Thunder. Learn More: https://t.co/YioxgSU4nH @okcthunder | #ThunderUp | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/memsUKZP7N
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) April 1, 2023
Everybody gettin' in on the action! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/yhk9wI8HL9
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2023
On time, on target 🎯 pic.twitter.com/jtTic2vrYv
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2023
Attacking downhill 💪 pic.twitter.com/9bWBiZdo1g
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 31, 2023
