Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder bench ensure no Pacers comeback in Game 2, even series with 123-107 win

OKLAHOMA CITY — There would be no comebacks, no end-of-game drama in Game 2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made sure of it.

Gilgeous-Alexander put up 34 points (his 13th 30+ game of the playoffs) and eight assists, but raw numbers undersell how good he was Sunday night. With the Thunder setting his picks up higher on the court, he was able to get downhill but was never out of control — he orchestrated the game. He found open shooters as well as his midrange game again, shooting 9-of-16 from there, plus getting 14 points in the paint. Defensively, he was blowing up Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers’ pick-and-roll all night.

The result was a comfortable 123-107 Oklahoma City win that evens the NBA Finals at 1-1 as the series heads to Indiana for Game 3 on Wednesday.

This was the performance Thunder fans — and most of the NBA world — expected from them in Game 1.

Oklahoma City was the aggressor from the opening tip, and much of what didn’t work for Oklahoma City in Game 1 did in Game 2. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren started out shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and finished with a combined 34 points and 11 rebounds. It wasn’t just SGA, the Thunder as a team shot 21-of-36 (58.3) from the midrange in Game 2. OKC got 26 of its 59 first-half points in the paint (and finished with 42 from there).

Then there was the bench, led by 20 points from Alex Caruso — more than any Pacer — and Aaron 18 from Aaron Wiggins, giving them a huge lift.

Thanks in large part to that bench, the Thunder extended their lead to as much as 23 and, thanks to another strong defensive performance, never let the Pacers get back in it.

As good as Gilgeous-Alexander was, it was a rough night for Haliburton. He spent three quiet quarters trying to get his teammates going in the face of the Thunder’s pressure defense, but when that didn’t work, he became a scorer in the fourth with an impressive 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The problem was that it was too late. Back home for Game 3, the Pacers need him to put his scoring stamp on the game earlier, draw the defense, then find shooters.

Myles Turner gave the Pacers a little boost with a dozen second-half points (16 for the game) and he let loose his frustrations with this dunk.

Indiana needs to find a lot of things with its home cooking: Through two NBA Finals games, theThunder have led for 91:22 and the Pacers 1:53. Indiana got the split on the road, but they are going to have to be much better at home, the Thunder have proven they can win on the road.