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Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: March 12, 2024 – A Game of Resilience and Strategy
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Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: March 12, 2024 – The Game of Resilience and Strategy
Indiana Pacers played against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 12, 2024, in a tough NBA match that showcased both teams' strengths and weaknesses. Indiana Pacers won 121–111, breaking the Thunder's three-game winning streak and demonstrating the evolving dynamics of both teams.
First Half: Pacers Gain Control
The Pacers began the game by taking the lead early on, outscoring the Thunder 22–17 in the first period. Their efficient shooting was showcased, with 53.9% from the field at halftime. Myles Turner was in the forefront with his scoring, taking a commanding role in the team's momentum.
Tyrese Haliburton led the offense, scoring 12 assists and 18 points, and Pascal Siakam added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Siakam's performance was a testament to the Pacers' strategic acquisition of him in January from the Toronto trade as a move towards acquiring offensive and defensive depth.
Third Quarter: Thunder's Resurgence
The Thunder, trailing by 14 points at half-time, returned with vigor in the third quarter. They opened an 8–2 run, reducing the deficit to 60–54. The game saw plenty of lead changes, and the Thunder even took a brief lead at 85–84. But the Pacers finished the quarter ahead by 94–87, having kept their nerves of steel despite the Thunder's comeback.
Fourth Quarter: Pacers' Defensive Prowess
In the fourth quarter, the Pacers' defense was the deciding factor. They limited the Thunder to 43.4% for the game, putting key players into poor positions. Myles Turner played a big role in this, protecting the rim and being solid defensively.
The Pacers' fast-break points were also a significant plus, dominating the Thunder 23–3 in the department. This transition game allowed Indiana to capitalize on Oklahoma City's turnovers and misses.
Individual Performances
Myles Turner (Pacers): Turner led the scoring with 24 points, showcasing his defensive presence and offensive versatility. His performance was a testament to his growth as a court leader. Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers): Haliburton's 18 points and 12 assists demonstrated his dual-threat capability, handling the offense perfectly while serving as a scorer. Pascal Siakam (Pacers): Siakam's 18 points and 11 rebounds showcased his all-around game, impacting each side of the court and cementing the Pacers' decision to sign him. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder): Despite the defeat, Gilgeous-Alexander showed a dazzling performance with 30 points and 10 rebounds, affirming his star status as one of the league's top players. Chet Holmgren (Thunder): Holmgren contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds, showing him to be a multi-skill big man who can impact various facets of the game.
Coaching Insights
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle emphasized defense in the victory by stating, "Whenever we lock in on that side, it's a different game for us." His adjustments and emphasis on defensive accountability were evident throughout the game.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged the areas of improvement, stating, "Just too many possessions where we weren't leveraging each other and working together." His insights pointed out aspects on which the team could hone in cohesive and effective execution.
Implications for the Season
The Pacers' victory positioned them in sixth place within the Eastern Conference, earning them a playoff berth. It was a crucial victory since they were about to play the Chicago Bulls in a very significant game.The defeat for the Thunder only helped identify areas where they needed to improve, especially in being consistent and playing on team dynamics. Despite the loss, they were still a prime contender in the Western Conference.
The March 12 clash between Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers was a compelling demonstration of grit, game planning, and sheer individual genius. The Pacers' balanced scoring and stifling defense were the reasons behind their victory, and the Thunder's valiant comeback efforts showed much promise. The two teams proceeded on their separate trajectories throughout the season, and the game served to remind everyone of the capricious and exhilarating nature of the NBA.
Tyrese Haliburton did it again.The Indiana Pacers rallied from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit Thursday night and stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-110, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.Haliburton capped the rally with yet another game-winning shot, this time with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock.The lead was In
diana's first and only one of the game. But 0.3 seconds was long enough for Indiana to secure the win.The Thunder's desperation inbounds alley-oop attempt on the other end failed, and the Pacers walked off the Paycom Center floor victorious in front of a stunned Oklahoma City crowd.
'It ain't over until it's over'
Haliburton has hit game-winners against the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and now the Thunder in these playoffs with shots that capped spectacular comebacks. He hit another to force overtime against the New York Knicks in a win in the Eastern Conference finals.
Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the comeback victory that saw six Pacers players score in double figures, none of them more than 19 points. The Pacers' win spoiled a sensational night for league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who totaled 38 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
OKC was in complete control — until it wasn't
For most of Thursday's game, the Thunder looked very much like the heavy favorites. Oklahoma City rode its trademark swarming defense to what was by most measures a dominant first half. It opened the first quarter by forcing nine Pacers turnovers and allowing eight made Indiana field goals.
By halftime, Indiana's turnover count (19) still exceeded its made field-goal tally (15), and the Thunder held a 57-45 lead. The Thunder had 18 more field-goal attempts (54) than the Pacers (36) at the break. There was little to indicate from the first half the Pacers could mount a rally.
But Indiana limited Oklahoma City to 37% shooting in the first half to keep within striking distance. And a halftime message from head coach Rick Carlisle appeared to resonate
Indiana stayed with the process. And it worked. The Pacers limited their turnovers to just five in the second half. And they found their stroke from long distance. The result in the third quarter was keeping pace with the Thunder, who struggled to extend their lead. The Pacers cut the Thunder edge to six points in the final seconds of the third quarter before a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3-pointer in the final second extended the edge back to 85-76.
Oklahoma City then extended its lead to the largest of the game at 94-79 when Jalen Williams turned a steal into a transition dunk on the other end with 9:42 remaining in the fourth. But the Indiana rally was not quelled.
After a timeout, the Pacers responded with a 15-4 run to cut Oklahoma City's lead to 98-94. They got there with the 3 ball as Obi Toppin and Myles Turner hit two each during the run. When Turner banked one in from the wing to cut the lead to four, the Oklahoma City crowd was on edge for the first time Thursday night.
The Thunder again extended their to 108-99 with a pair of Gilgeous-Alexander free throws and appeared to be back in control with less than three minutes remaining. But back-to-back 3s by Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nemhard cut the lead to 108-105.
Siakam pulled the Pacers within 110-109 in the final minute before a missed Gilgeous-Alexander jumper with 14 seconds remaining set Haliburton up for his heroics.
The Pacers finished the game shooting 18 of 39 (46.2%) from 3-point distance. Nine different Pacers hit at least one 3. Toppin hit 5 of 8 off the bench en route to 17 points.
The Pacers limited their turnovers to 24 for the game after committing 19 in the first half. And they held the Thunder to 39.8% shooting from the floor. The Thunder secured 16 more field-goal attempts (98) than the Pacers (82). But they didn't hit enough shots to put Indiana away.
Haliburton the hero
What Haliburton has done in these playoffs is nothing short of remarkable and unprecedented in basketball history.
This time, Haliburton grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw in the game's final 12 seconds. He dribbled beyond the 3-point line and pulled up for a go-ahead 3 with 1.1 seconds remaining. That shot secured a 120-119 win and a 2-0 lead on the road over the Cavaliers.
Then, against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers trailed by 17 in the fourth quarter and by 14 with less than three minutes left in regulation. This time, Haliburton forced overtime with a deep buzzer-beater he initially thought was a game-winning 3. And now Haliburton's done it to a Thunder team almost everyone picked to beat his Pacers in the NBA Finals. It's up to Oklahoma City to respond and avoid a 2-0 deficit at home. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Indiana Pacers have been amazing as big underdogs this playoffs
With yet another unbelievable comeback in Game 1, the Indiana Pacers (+10) win again as a big underdog this postseason. Indiana has now won all five games this postseason outright as an underdog of at least six points. Remarkable.
Pacers-Thunder Game 2 on Sunday
These two teams will meet again at Paycom Center on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. No matter how big a lead the Thunder take, no one is going to feel safe.
Stats from a wild Pacers-Thunder Game 1
Tyrese Haliburton delivered yet another signature postseason moment, but only tied for fourth on his own team in scoring. He posted 14 points on a meh 6-of-13 shooting, plus 10 rebounds and six assists. A gutty effort for him against a nightmare defense. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and 10 rebounds, one of six Indiana players to score in double figures.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 38-point NBA Finals debut goes for naught. If you want a Thunder player whose performance left the door open for another Pacers comeback, take a look at Chet Holmgren's six points on 2-of-9 shooting with six rebounds and zero assist
FINAL: Pacers 111, Thunder 110
For 46 minutes or so, the Thunder looked how we expected them to look, a defensive juggernaut with an MVP point guard scoring whenever they need. In the final two minutes, the Pacers were what they have been all playoffs. Indiana steals Game 1 in OKC, and this Finals is suddenly looking not so lopsided.
THE PACERS TAKE THEIR FIRST LEAD WITH 0.3 SECONDS LEFT
The Pacers have done it again. In a game where they trailed by as much as 15 and by six with two minutes left, they have taken their first lead of the game with 0.3 seconds left on a jumper from (who else?) Tyrese Haliburton.
They're doing it again
It doesn't matter who the Pacers are playing or how much the momentum feels against them. In so many games, they reached a point where they need to play exemplary basketball to just stay in the game and then did it for the rest of the game.
They are down by three points with a minute left.
A lane violation is called!
Pascal Siakam missed two free throws, but gets a reprieve with a rare lane violation call. This game has had everything.
Pacers aren't going away, cut deficit to single digits again
There's the Pacers' response. First they cut a double-digit deficit to six points. Then a Thunder run put them, down by 15. And now they're only down by eight with 7:44 remaining, with their last basket coming on a Myles Turner 3-pointer, on an assist from Tyrese Haliburton.
It is a mild miracle they're still competitive in a game in which they've posted 23 turnovers.
Thunder extend lead to 15
Indiana's run to cut OKC's lead to 6 points is a thing of the past. The Thunder now have their biggest lead of the game at 15 points at 94-79 with 9:42 remaining in regulation.
Their last bucket arrived courtesy of Indiana's 23rd turnover of the game, a steal that Jalen Williams converted into a breakaway dunk. The Pacers need to answer or risk the game turning into a blowout.
SGA slows big Pacers run with late 3
The Pacers cut the Thunder lead to 82-76 in the waning seconds of the third quarter. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander threw the last punch with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to extend the OKC edge back to 85-76 heading into the fourth.
It was a massive shot by the NBA MVP that slowed what was shaping up to be a significant Pacers rally. Does Indiana have more gas in the tank for a fourth-quarter rally?
Thunder, Pacers trading buckets
The Pacers have limited their turnovers late in the third quarter, which has led to some rhythm on offense. But they're mostly trading buckets with the Thunder, who hold a 77-66 lead with 3 minutes remaining in until the fourth.
Pacers still hanging around
There's good news for the Pacers. This still isn't a Thunder runaway. But they haven't cut into the Oklahoma City lead. The Thunder have maintained their 12-point halftime advantage and hold a 67-55 lead with 7:01 remaining in the third quarter. Five second-half points from Pascal Siakam and a 3 from Aaron Nesmith have helped Indiana keep pace. But they've upped their halftime turnover tally from 18 to 21.
Key halftime stats
The Thunder are shooting just 37% from the field, but they have 18 more field-goal attempts (54) than the Pacers (36).
That's thanks in large part to their 18 forced turnovers, 11 of which have come via steal. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, is playing very much like the NBA MVP while leading the Thunder with 19 points at halftime. He's scored inside and out on an 8-of-18 effort from the field. Luguentz Dort is doing it on both ends with four steals and nine points on a 3-of-5 effort from 3. Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso have seven points each off the bench.
The Pacers have three more turnovers than made field goals (15). They simply have no answers for OKC's active hands. And Tyrese Haliburton is barely a factor in the scoring column with six points and five rebounds on a 2-of-5 effort from the field.
Thunder (-6.5) cover the spread in first half
This season's Oklahoma City Thunder was the best NBA regular-season team against the spread in the past 35 seasons, going 53-24-4 ATS — so they know something about covering a number.
They're up 57-45 against the Pacers at halftime in Game 1, and the Thunder easily covered the 6.5-point 1H spread.
Halftime: Thunder 57, Pacers 45
The Pacers turnovers just keep coming. Whether via pickpocket, errant pass or shot-clock violation, the Thunder have flustered Indiana's offense into 18 first-half turnovers.
NBA Finals: Haliburton caps huge rally with winning jumper as Pacers stun Thunder 111-110 in Game 1
Friday, June 6th, 2025 12:01 AM
By TIM REYNOLDS - AP Basketball Writer
Game Recap OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Tyrese Haliburton and the never-say-die Indiana Pacers pulled off yet another last-second comeback, this time on the NBA's biggest stage.
Haliburton's 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana its first and only lead of the game, and the Pacers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after a comeback for the ages.
“Man, basketball's fun,” Haliburton said. “Winning is fun.”
Especially like this. The Pacers turned the ball over 25 times, trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter against a team with the best home record in the NBA and had no answers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - the NBA MVP who led all scorers with 38 points.
But they had the league's new Mr. Big Shot, who has now had one of these moments in every series the Pacers have played in these playoffs.
- April 29, Indiana trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in overtime. Haliburton scored with 1.4 seconds remaining and the Pacers won 119-118.
- May 6, Indiana trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left and won 120-119. Haliburton got the game-winner with 1.1 seconds to play.
- May 21, Indiana trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation. Haliburton sent it to overtime on a jumper with no time on the clock; Indiana won 138-135.
Now, this. “We've had lots of experience in these kinds of games,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
The Pacers were down by 15 with 9:42 left, their rally the biggest in the fourth quarter of a finals game since Dallas also came from 15 down to beat Miami on June 2, 2011. Carlisle coached those Mavericks. And, well, here he is again.
“That’s a really good team," Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. "Credit them for not only tonight but their run. They've had so many games like that that have seemed improbable. And they just play with a great spirit and they keep coming. They keep playing.” Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points. Obi Toppin scored 17, Myles Turner had 15, and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each had 14.
Jalen Williams had 17 and Lu Dort scored 15 for Oklahoma City, which was 36-1 at home with 15-point leads this season. Game 2 is at Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
Oklahoma City led by 15 early in the fourth when Carlisle called time and subbed out all five players, seeking a spark. It worked. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 15-4 over the next 3:26 - getting within 98-94 on a 3 by Turner with 6:16 left. They weren't done. And in the final second, they found a way. Again.
“We had control of the game for the most part," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Now, it's a 48-minute game. And they teach you that lesson more than anyone else in the league - the hard way.”
Posted on 2025/06/07 08:34 AM