The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers squared off, defense made the difference in lifting the Thunder to a victory.
In a Dec. 26 matchup at Indianapolis, the Thunder forced 11 turnovers while turning it over just three times and outscored the Pacers 17-3 off those turnovers to pull off a 120-114 victory.
When the teams meet again Saturday night in Oklahoma City, defense once again figures to be front and center.
The Thunder have spent most of the season leading the league in defensive rating by a significant margin. Oklahoma City has allowed just 106.1 points per 100 possessions, while no other team in the league has a better defensive rating than 109.5.
Luguentz Dort remains at the center of the Thunder’s defensive success.
In that earlier meeting, Dort’s worth was evident even though he didn’t have any steals or blocks. Dort was a plus-11 and played a role in helping hold Tyrese Haliburton to just four points.
“What he’s been to the point of our attack all year and throughout his whole career has been amazing,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after a 125-104 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, lobbying for Dort’s Defensive Player of the Year candidacy. “There’s nobody in the NBA like him. What he does is special every night. You can’t teach it, it’s a gift.”
The Thunder are riding an eight-game winning streak and have a mathematical shot at becoming the third team in NBA history to win 70 games in a season.
Oklahoma City (61-12) would have to win out to achieve the mark and join the 2015-16 Warriors and 1995-96 Bulls in winning 70 games in one season.
Indiana and Oklahoma City are among the best in the league this season in limiting turnovers. The Thunder have an NBA-best 11.8 percent turnover percentage while Indiana is in the top five at 13.3.
The Thunder also force turnovers in bunches, leading the league with 17.1 per game. In Thursday’s win, they scored 29 points off 19 turnovers.
While the Thunder have already clinched the top spot in the Western Conference, the Pacers are still fighting for positioning.
Indiana (43-30) entered Friday fourth in the Eastern Conference, between the Knicks and the Pistons.
The Pacers have won six of their last seven, and though Haliburton had a rough night the last time Indiana took on the Thunder, he was excellent in Thursday’s 162-109 road win over the Washington Wizards. Haliburton scored 29, making 7 of 10 shots from 3-point range as Indiana hit 27 3-pointers, just two short of an NBA record. The 162 points were a franchise record.
“He gets that vibe going and it gets our team juiced up,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “It can be difficult when you’re facing a guy making shows like that.”
Indiana was on the other end of it the night before when Luka Doncic scored 34 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ buzzer-beating win.
The Pacers also experienced it Dec. 26, when Gilgeous-Alexander equaled his then-career high with 45 points.
Since then, he’s had five games with 48 or more points.
–Field Level Media
