SGA's MVP performance lifts OKC to Game 2 win

OKLAHOMA CITY -- There is simply a consciousness of inevitability astir Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring ability.

"You tin people down 34 points earlier they adjacent get connected the level time for the adjacent game," Pacers manager Rick Carlisle said aft Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 successful the Thunder's series-tying 123-107 win successful Sunday's Game 2 of the NBA Finals. "The guy's going to score. We've got to find ways to marque it arsenic pugnacious arsenic imaginable connected him."

Indiana had comparative occurrence successful that challenging ngo erstwhile the Pacers stole Game 1. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 38 points successful Thursday's contest, but helium was a measurement scorer, shooting 14-of-30 with lone 3 assists.

He responded Sunday with the benignant of businesslike dominance that earned Gilgeous-Alexander his archetypal MVP grant this season, erstwhile helium led the NBA successful scoring with 32.7 points per crippled connected 51.9% shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander was 11-of-21 from the level and 11-of-12 from the foul enactment successful Game 2, consistently carving up the Pacers' defence disconnected the dribble successful scoring each but 1 of his buckets successful the overgarment oregon from midrange.

"I'm being myself," said Gilgeous-Alexander, whose 72 points successful the bid are the astir by a subordinate successful his archetypal 2 Finals games, surpassing Hall of Famer Allen Iverson successful 2001 by a point. "I don't deliberation I tried to reinvent the instrumentality oregon measurement up to the sheet with a antithetic mindset. Just effort to onslaught the crippled the close way. I deliberation I've done a beauteous bully occupation of that truthful far."

It was Gilgeous-Alexander's 12th 30-point crippled during these playoffs, surpassing Kevin Durant successful 2014 for the astir successful franchise postseason history.

"Yeah, unsurprising astatine this point," Thunder manager Mark Daigneault said. "It's conscionable benignant of what helium does. He conscionable continues to advancement and amended and emergence to each juncture that helium puts himself successful and that we enactment ourselves in."

Gilgeous-Alexander's passing besides presented problems for the Pacers. He registered 8 assists successful the victory. On respective occasions, his decisive passes retired of double-teams began beauteous sequences of shot question that led to wide-open looks for his teammates.

"He's conscionable getting amended and better, which is precise impressive," said Thunder co-star Jalen Williams, who tallied 19 points and 5 assists. "Obviously, he's the MVP of the league. For him to proceed to get amended is good. He conscionable trusts america to marque plays.

"I deliberation erstwhile your champion subordinate is retired determination and helium trusts you to marque a play, it conscionable gives you much confidence. He understands that. I deliberation that's 1 of the roles he's gotten truly bully astatine and grown at, and it conscionable makes our squad better."

Gilgeous-Alexander dished retired the shot for assists to 7 antithetic teammates. That included 3-point baskets by six antithetic players.

"It conscionable shows his willingness to make for different guys," said Thunder guardant Aaron Wiggins, who enactment up 18 points successful 21 minutes disconnected the seat and went 5-of-8 from 3-point range. "Obviously, everyone sees the points and however casual it whitethorn beryllium for him to spell retired determination and get 30, 40 points. When he's retired determination sharing the ball, getting different guys involved, that's erstwhile our squad is astatine our best."

Sunday's outing marked Gilgeous-Alexander's 11th crippled during this playoff tally with astatine slightest 30 points and 5 assists. According to ESPN Research, that matches the astir by a subordinate during a azygous postseason, a feat LeBron James accomplished 3 times and Michael Jordan pulled disconnected twice.

"He's MVP for a reason," Pacers halfway Myles Turner said of Gilgeous-Alexander. "He's going to get off, and I deliberation that we accepted that. It's a substance of slowing him down and limiting the relation players. A fewer of their guys stepped up tonight."

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a career-best 6.4 assists per crippled this season. He has bumped that up to 6.8 during the playoffs.

"The scoring and ratio gets a batch of shine, but he's truly steadily improved arsenic a playmaker," Daigneault said.

As Gilgeous-Alexander views it, that improvement was indispensable to prosecute his extremity of winning a championship.

"No one-man amusement achieves what I'm trying to execute with this game," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "All the stats and the numbers, they're fun. I don't play successful abstraction arsenic overmuch arsenic I bash without having them retired there. I don't get unfastened arsenic overmuch arsenic I bash without having the screeners retired there. Whether it's a slide-out oregon a set, those guys are the crushed wherefore we're arsenic bully of a squad arsenic we are. I conscionable adhd to it.

"The mode I spot it, I had nary choice. They are acceptable for the moment, arsenic I knew they would be, and they performed."