OKC pushes past Indiana 129-125, as Gilgeous-Alexander scores 36 points

The Oklahoma City Thunder (19-41) defeated the Indiana Pacers (20-41) 129-125 in overtime on Friday night.

Guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tre Mann paved the way offensively in the win. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 36 points on 13-for-24 shooting (1-of-5 from 3), eight rebounds and five assists. Mann also piled on 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting (3-of-6 from 3).

Gilgeous-Alexander hit the tiebreaking three-pointer with 20.4 seconds left in regulation to heave the Thunder over Pacers. His shot ended Oklahoma City’s five-game losing skid that dated back to before the All Star break.

The Thunder’s win was the first Indianapolis since 2019.

‘’Shai played at a pretty dominant pace all night and they had a really hard time keeping him away from the basket all night,’’ head coach Mark Daigenault said. ‘’I thought he made the right plays.’’

Mann, alongside his scoring, made some decisive plays in regulation. He grabbed a deciding rebound and several passes that thwarted the Pacers’ attempts for a win.

During the fourth quarter Indiana led Oklahoma City 113-105, but the Thunder went on a dramatic 10-0 run that closed the gap. With 54.5 seconds left, the Thunder retook the lead on a 121-117 score.

Despite the lead, OKC couldn’t seal the win at the free-throw line, so guards Buddy Hield and Lance Stephenson drained a pair of threes to send the game to overtime.

After the overtime push from the Pacers, Oklahoma City eventually closed out the game in regulation. Looking forward, the Thunder’s next game will be against the Sacramento Kings (22-39) at 7 p.m. CT on Monday, Feb. 28, in Oklahoma City.