Pacers overcome SGA, stun Thunder in NBA Finals rematch

Indiana elected to go small and immediately played with a sense of urgency that was impossible to ignore. The ball moved with purpose, and the Pacers brought a physical and emotional intensity that had not consistently surfaced at any point this season.

By the end of the third quarter, the Pacers had already recorded 29 assists, a reflection of how unified and intentional their offense had become. The ball moved with purpose, stretching Oklahoma City’s defense across the floor, creating open shots, and carving out driving lanes that allowed Indiana to attack the rim with confidence.

Indiana ended the game with 34 assists, accounting for 83 of its 117 points and highlighting a level of offensive cohesion rarely seen this season. By embracing a smaller lineup and spending much of the night without a true center, the Pacers unlocked an approach that carried them to a surprising victory.

Walking His Way to a Career High!

My goodness. Jarace Walker's performance tonight was absolutely astonishing. It was without question the best game we have ever seen from Jarace in a Pacers uniform.

Indiana was fighting hard to keep Oklahoma City from tying or taking the lead in the 4th, and it was Jarace Walker who stepped up to the free throw line with the Pacers clinging to a 1-point lead, drilling 4 clutch free throws to ultimately seal the deal.

Jarace finished the game with a career high 26 points, showcasing how special of a talent he can be. This is something for Jarace to build on moving forward.

Deuces Are Wild

What else can you say about the point guard battle we saw tonight from Andrew Nembhard and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

The Thunder's #2, SGA, finished the game with 47 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. His scoring was the focal point of the Oklahoma City offense for the entirety of the game.

For Indiana's #2, Andrew Nembhard, It was almost his first career triple-double. He scored a team high 27 points , dished out 11 assists, corralled 7 rebounds, and was a team best +16 in 36 minutes of play.

Andrew Nembhard's 11 assists created 26 points for the Pacers, and SGA's assists created 10 points for the Thunder. A cool way to look at this is that SGA was responsible for 57 points tonight, and Nembhard was responsible for 53 points.

Final Notes

Johnny Furphy and Micah Potter were great on the glass, each grabbing 10 rebounds.

Aaron Nesmith broke out of his shooting slump with 17 points on 7-14 shooting. He also had this POSTER dunk on Chet Holmgren!

Pascal Siakam was terrific as always with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.

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