Shai Gilgeous-Alexander keeps it real after Pacers silence OKC in clutch ‘the hard way’

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers pulled off another stunner, rallying from 15 points down to edge out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder 111-110 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at Paycom Center.

Haliburton capped Indiana’s comeback with a clutch pull-up 2-pointer, sealing a fourth-quarter surge that saw the Pacers outscore the Thunder 35-25.

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After the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder got taught a hard lesson about playing a full game by the never-say-die Pacers.

“It is a 48-minute game,” he said (per ESPN’s Tim McMahon). “(The Pacers) teach you that lesson more than anybody else in the league the hard way.”

SGA delivered a strong Finals debut, scoring 38 points with five rebounds and three steals, but missed a fadeaway with 11 seconds to go that could have given OKC a three-point cushion. Aaron Nesmith corralled the rebound, and instead of calling a timeout, Indiana let Haliburton bring it up and hit the game-winner.

No Indiana player cracked the 20-point mark, but the Pacers’ depth proved vital. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists; Pascal Siakam added 19 points and 10 boards; Obi Toppin had 17; Myles Turner scored 15; Andrew Nembhard chipped in 14; and Nesmith posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Meanwhile, Thunder struggled to find support for their MVP. Jalen Williams scored 17 on 6-of-19 shooting, and Chet Holmgren managed just six points on nine attempts.

Indiana dominated the glass 56-39, a key factor in the win despite giving up 24 turnovers. The Thunder could only convert those into 11 points.

Game 2 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sets Canadian NBA Finals scoring record in loss

Despite the crushing loss, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made history, logging the highest point total ever by a Canadian in an NBA Finals game.

His 38 points topped the previous mark of 34, set by Jamal Murray in Game 3 of the 2023 Finals.

This year’s Finals spotlight Canada’s basketball boom, with SGA joined by teammate Lu Dort, who tallied 15 points and four steals in Game 1, while the Pacers feature Canadian standouts Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin.

Pascal Siakam, another Pacers star, was a key piece in Toronto's first NBA championship in 2019.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently became just the second Canadian to win NBA MVP, following Steve Nash, who earned the honor back-to-back in 2005 and 2006. With OKC still in the hunt, SGA has a chance to become the first Canadian to win Finals MVP — if he can lead the Thunder past this Game 1 heartbreak.

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About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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