Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a career performance Thursday night, scoring 55 points to lead the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder past the Indiana Pacers 141-135 in double overtime.
In the first meeting between the two teams since last season’s seven-game NBA Finals, the rematch lived up to the hype. The Thunder and Pacers traded leads all night in a tense, high-scoring duel that required 10 extra minutes to decide. It was OKC’s second straight double-overtime game to open the season, making them the first team in NBA history to begin a season with back-to-back 2OT contests.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot 15-of-31 from the field and 23-of-26 from the line, tied Russell Westbrook for the most 50-point games in Thunder history with five. Ajay Mitchell added 26 points off the bench, Aaron Wiggins scored 23 with five made threes, and Chet Holmgren contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Gilgeous-Alexander became just the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 90 points through the first two games of a season, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Anthony Davis, and Michael Jordan.
Despite missing key players Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, and Myles Turner, the Pacers showed championship-caliber resilience. Bennedict Mathurin poured in 36 points, tying Reggie Miller for the second-most in a Pacers season opener, while Pascal Siakam had 32 points and 15 rebounds, including the clutch bucket that forced overtime.