The Thunder are so proficient all over the floor, opponents eventually buckle
It’s hard to point to any legendary performances from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He does his work with little flash and no razzle-dazzle. His dirty work comes with a steady stream of expertly positioned 18-footers and plenty of trips to the free-throw line. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, is all razzle-dazzle. When you get the best of Haliburton, he is delivering clutch shot after clutch shot, like the game-winner he hit to take Game 1 of the series. While the highs are higher than just about anyone in the NBA, the lows are extremely low. I’ll point to his 17-point, zero free throw, six assist to five turnover performance in Game 2.
The Pacers were able to steal Game 1 of the series, and in Game 3, they must prove that it wasn’t a fluke. Indiana was clearly outclassed in Game 2 and while plenty of answers have to come from somewhere, the primary change the Pacers need to see is a superstar performance from Haliburton. Because they know SGA is going to get his 30 points on 50% shooting and 10 free throws with a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. It’s just what he does.
Game Vitals
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Watch: ABC
Odds: Thunder -5.5
Projected Lineups
Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
Indiana Pacers (1-1)
Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner