INDIANAPOLIS – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander let out a long sigh as he sat and leaned back in his chair in the postgame interview room Thursday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder had just finished their second straight game in double overtime to start the season, something no other team in NBA history had ever done.
And for the second straight time, the Thunder were victorious, outlasting the Indiana Pacers 141-135 in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals, won by Oklahoma City during an epic seven-game series in June.
“I’m tired, but that’s normal,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who set a career high with 55 points. “It’s a good way to break the ice during the season, shake off the rust, break the lungs and get my cardio back.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault had planned to limit his team’s minutes after its grueling win over the Houston Rockets on opening night, and there was a moment in the first overtime period Thursday night — with the Thunder trailing 118-113 with 3:16 remaining — where he said it would have been easy to pump the breaks.
But Gilgeous-Alexander, who played 45 minutes Thursday after playing 47 minutes in Tuesday night’s opener, wanted to keep going and didn’t want to pass up a chance to win.
“Two things. Being in the moment and understanding that we’re down five, there’s three minutes left, there’s a lot of time left,” he said. “Then understanding the start of the season is just as important as the end of the season.
“The difference in home field advantage in the playoffs could be one game and one win. We know that home field in the playoffs is very valuable, especially when you play seven games. So we never want to take an opportunity for granted.”
In Thursday’s rematch, the Thunder were missing Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso, but had a big contribution from second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, who finished with a career-high 26 points coming off the bench.
“Everyone has a lot of confidence in him and his talent,” Daigneault said of Mitchell. “But I think the stability in those two environments… in both games he didn’t really blink. So we knew the talent and the impact, but sometimes it takes a little bit from the guys, they seem a little wide-eyed. That wasn’t the case for him.”
Gilgeous-Alexander hugged Mitchell as the final buzzer sounded, partly because of exhaustion, but also because he wanted to congratulate the young guard on the best game of his career.
“Different guys are stepping up,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “A lot of guys stepped up tonight. Like, for playing so much time last game, we’re obviously a little banged up. This team never makes excuses. They’re always ready for their moment.”
The Pacers pushed the defending champions to their limits despite playing shorthanded. Already without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton all season, 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 did not return.
Carlisle said Nembhard would undergo additional tests on his shoulder Friday, but did not sound optimistic, saying the injury could “potentially present some big challenges.”
Still, the Pacers managed to push the champions to the brink, just like they did in the Finals. Pascal Siakam scored 32 points and 15 rebounds, and Bennedict Mathurin finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
“Grit is what our lineup will have to be this year,” Carlisle said. “There will be a lot of challenges. We just have to be able to meet those challenges in the long term.”
