Thunder’s loss to Pacers ends pursuit of 2015-16 Warriors wins record

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s pursuit of the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors’ 73-9 record came to an end Friday night with a 117-114 defeat to the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. The defeat dropped Oklahoma City to 37-9 on the season, having opened the campaign with a 26-3 start, ensuring that the historic 73-win benchmark will remain unbreakable.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 47 points on 17-of-28 shooting, adding 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. Despite his fifth 40-point game of the season and scoring 102 points against Indiana this year, SGA’s efforts weren’t enough. Chet Holmgren contributed 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Kenrich Williams (12) and Cason Wallace (10) were the only other OKC players to reach double figures. Hitting only 27% from beyond the arc (7-of-26), the Thunder were outpaced by the Pacers, who sank 16-of-38 three-pointers.

Oklahoma City entered the game without five of its starters: Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Hartenstein. This forced head coach Mark Daigneault to deploy unconventional lineups, including a second-quarter rotation of Cason Wallace, Brooks Barnhizer, Kenrich Williams, Ousmane Dieng, and Jaylin Williams. Dieng played 14 minutes off the bench, his most since December 7, and Isaiah Joe made his first start of the season, attempting a potential game-tying three in the final seconds that rimmed out.

Without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana relied on a small-ball approach to exploit the Thunder’s depleted roster. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 27 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Jarace Walker scored a career-high 26 points, including four clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds, and Pascal Siakam added 21 points. Forward Aaron Nesmith, snapping a shooting slump, finished with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. Micah Potter chipped in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Indiana took a 17-point lead early in the second quarter and weathered several Oklahoma City rallies to stay in front. The Thunder narrowed the margin to 94-91 midway through the fourth quarter and later to 116-115 with 24 seconds left, but the Pacers’ defense and strategic foul management protected the lead for the win.

Friday’s win gave Indiana its third road victory of the season and ended a three-game losing streak, moving the Pacers to 11-35 and 14th in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, OKC, at 37-9, still owns the best record in the NBA and remains atop the Western Conference.

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