By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Christine Tannous/IndyStar
The Indiana Pacers pulled off another comeback in the fourth quarter to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-110, to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Can we call the Pacers the comeback kids? The team has pulled off comebacks in every round of this year’s playoffs. The Pacers trailed as many as 13 in this game.
Tyrese Haliburton continues to make his case as a postseason clutch performer. Reggie Miller is passing some of his postseason glory magic to Haliburton, who made the game-winning shot to give the Pacers their first lead of the game with .3 seconds left.
Haliburton finished the night with a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points on 7 of 15 from the field, with 10 rebounds and three assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with a team-high 38 points on 14 of 30 from the field. He made three of his six three-pointers.
One key factor in the Pacers’ winning this game was reducing turnovers. The Pacers had a lousy first half with 19 turnovers, but they controlled the ball and the game in the second half.
Obi Toppin’s production off the bench also played a big part in the Pacers’ comeback win. Toppin recorded 17 points and went 5 for eight from the three-point line.
Andrew Nembhard made a big three-pointer to cut the deficit from six to three with less than two minutes in the fourth quarter. Nembhard finished with 14 points and six rebounds
The Pacers outrebounded the Thunder 56 to 39. Although they didn’t shoot well from the free-throw line and committed 24 turnovers, they stepped up when it mattered the most.
It’s a heartbreaking loss for the No. 1 seed Thunder team. They must regroup, win game 2, and avoid returning to Indiana being down 0-2.
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