Oklahoma City Thunder beat Indiana Pacers in rematch of last season's finals
The Pacers got 36 points and 11 rebounds from Bennedict Mathurin
MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 55 points
Defending NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 55 points to lead the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a wild 141-135 double-overtime road win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
In the teams’ first meeting since Oklahoma City won Game 7 of the 2025 Finals at home to capture their first title in franchise history, Gilgeous-Alexander went 15 of 31 from the field, hit 23 of 26 free-throw attempts and added eight rebounds and five assists to help the Thunder improve to 2-0.
Oklahoma City also went to double overtime in their season opener Tuesday against the Houston Rockets before pulling out a 125-124 victory behind 35 points from reigning NBA Finals MVP Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Pacers got 36 points and 11 rebounds from Bennedict Mathurin, while Pascal Siakam scored 32 and pulled down 15 boards in Indiana’s first game of the season.
The only other contest on the NBA slate Thursday was also a thriller, with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Denver Nuggets 137-131 in overtime.
Stephen Curry had 42 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals as the Warriors pushed their record to 2-0.
The Nuggets’ failed in their bid to win their season opener despite a career-best 50 points from Aaron Gordon and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic’s triple-double.
Gordon hit a personal-best 10 three-pointers in 11 attempts and added eight rebounds, and Jokic chipped in with 21 points, 13 boards and 10 assists.
Jamal Murray added 25 points, 10 assists and three steals for Denver, while Jimmy Butler contributed 21 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Warriors.
