OKLAHOMA CITY — Myles Turner bristled when a reporter suggested Indiana’s win over Oklahoma City should be considered a big deal.
“We’re a good team that also scores a lot of points,” Turner said. “That’s basically what this league has achieved. The difference tonight was our defense. Every time we end up on that side, it’s a different game for us.
Turner scored 24 points to help the Pacers defeat the Thunder 121-111 on Tuesday night. Tyrese Haliburton had 18 points and 12 assists and Pascal Siakam added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who shot 53.9 percent from the field and ended Oklahoma City’s three-game winning streak .
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Siakam was important on both ends. Indiana added him in a deal with Toronto in January.
“Games like tonight are why you trade for a guy like Pascal Siakam,” Carlisle said. “He can create, he has length defensively, he can affect shots at the rim defensively and he rebounds.”
The Pacers held Oklahoma City to 43.4 percent shooting.
“They probably missed some shots that they normally make,” Carlisle said. “But our guys were working to make it difficult for them.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and 10 rebounds, Lu Dort scored 18 points and Chet Holmgren added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who fell into a tie with the Denver Nuggets at the top of the Western Conference standings.
“There were just too many possessions where we weren’t exploiting each other and working together, which is a good lesson,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “You know, the game gets a lot tougher when we do that. Again, we have to learn from it, look at it. We’re not going to be perfect every night. There are lessons in every game. We will learn them from this one.
Gordon Hayward got his first start in 11 games since being traded to Oklahoma City and scored nine points in 30 minutes. He started in place of Jalen Williams, who was out with a sprained right ankle. Williams is Oklahoma City’s second-leading scorer this season with 19 points per game.
Indiana led 56-40 with just over a minute left in the first half before the Thunder started rolling. Oklahoma City cut its deficit to 58-46 at halftime, then opened the second half on an 8-2 run to cut its deficit to 60-54. The Thunder finally tied the game at 80 on a 3-pointer by Lu Dort with about three minutes left in the quarter and took an 85-84 lead on a 3-pointer by Isaiah Joe a minute later. Indiana closed the quarter strong to take a 94-87 lead into the fourth.
Indiana led 115-109 with 45.6 seconds left and had the ball. Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort was called for a foul on Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard in the arm late in the shot clock, and Oklahoma City challenged it. It was unsuccessful and Nembhard made both free throws to help Indiana maintain control.
“I think they showed great resilience,” Daigneault said of the Pacers. They played very well from the jump. And then I pushed back a couple of our different runs in the second half on the road, I showed great composure. So they definitely deserve a lot of credit.
FOLLOWING
Pacers: Host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Thunder: Host the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
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