INDIANAPOLIS — In the postgame interview room Thursday night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat back, leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. The Oklahoma City Thunder just finished their second straight double overtime game to start the season, something no other team has done in NBA history.
The Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 141-135 in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals for their second straight victory, and Oklahoma City won the epic seven-game series in June.
“I'm tired, but that's to be expected,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a career-high 55 points. “It’s a great way to break up the season, shake off the rust, work on my lungs and get my cardio back up.”
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Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, who had planned to limit his team's minutes after a disastrous loss to the Houston Rockets in the opener, said it would be easy to take advantage of the break after the Thunder trailed 118-113 with 3:16 left in the first overtime on Thursday night.
But Gilgeous-Alexander, who played 45 minutes on Thursday after playing 47 minutes in Tuesday night's opener, wanted to move on and not let the chance to win slip away.
“Two things. Live in the moment and understand we're down by five, with three minutes left and a lot of time,” he said. “Then it’s just as important to know where the season starts and where it ends.
“The difference in home-field advantage in the playoffs can be a game and a win. We know first-hand home-field advantage in the playoffs is very helpful, especially when you're playing seven games. So we don't want to take that opportunity for granted.”
The Thunder were without Jalen Williams, Carson Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso in Thursday's rematch, but had a big contribution from second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, who came off the bench to score a career-high 26 points.
“Everybody has a lot of faith in him and his talent,” Daigneault said of Mitchell. “But I think the consistency in both environments … he didn't really blink in either game. So we know his talent and his impact, but sometimes it takes some guys, they look a little bit wide-eyed. That's not the case with him.”
When the final buzzer sounded, Gilgeous-Alexander gave Mitchell a big hug, partly out of exhaustion but also because he wanted to praise the young guard for having the best game of his career.
“Different people stepped up,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “A lot of guys stepped up tonight. Like, after playing so much last game, obviously we were a little banged up. This team never makes excuses. They're always ready for their moment.”
Despite being shorthanded, the Pacers pushed the defending champions to their limits. Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has been out all season, and they also lost Aaron Nesmith, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Andrew Nembhard, who injured his left shoulder in the first half and failed to return.
Carlisle said Nembhard will undergo further shoulder testing on Friday, but didn't sound optimistic, saying the injury could “potentially present some significant challenges.”
Still, the Pacers were able to push the championship to the brink once again, just like they did during the Finals. Pascal Siakam had 32 points and 15 rebounds, and Benedict Maturin had 36 points and 11 rebounds.
“Our makeup has to be tough this year,” Carlisle said. “There are going to be a lot of challenges. We have to be able to deal with them over the long term.”