'Definitely the craziest (game) I’ve been a part of': Pacers score 152 points, blast Thunder by 57
'Definitely the craziest (game) I’ve been a part of': Pacers score 152 points, blast Thunder by 57
Indiana led wire-to-wire and by 67 points at one point. It set a new NBA franchise record for total points and 3-pointers made in a game.
The Pacers obliterated the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday night in a historic 152-95 win.
Nope, not a typo. It was a new … franchise … record.
Appropriate because it happened on the first of May, where in Indy it’s about speed and big numbers.
Rookie guard Cassius Stanley hit that important field goal, their only one over the final four minutes. The 3-pointer with 44.3 seconds left set a new NBA franchise record for points in a game.
They scored the game’s first eight points and never trailed in the 57-point victory. And the Pacers were without five players in the rotation, including three starters.
“We were just hitting everything,” said Doug McDermott, who matched his career-high with 31 points. “We did a really good job of sharing the ball tonight, getting out in transition and everything seemed to be going in. It’s kind of contagious — when one guy gets going, another guy gets going.”
The Pacers, who were favored by seven points, led by as many as 67 points (149-82), then were outscored 13-3 over the final 4:12.
Domantas Sabonis played in his first game since April 18 after being sidelined with back pain. He experienced spasms and it tightened up on him, making it difficult to even get out of bed. And he’s not sure what caused it in the first place.
“I couldn’t move much,” he said. “Little walks were good during the day. Once that back started to loosen up, then I could start coming to practice, watching, getting shots, getting treatment.
“It was so much fun to finally be out there with my teammates. Watching on the sidelines for an athlete is never fun.”
Sabonis, who played for the Thunder his rookie season (2016-17), feasted back at Chesapeake Energy Arena. He finished with 26 points, 19 rebounds and a career-high 14 assists … and he sat the entire fourth quarter.
Better yet, he secured his seventh triple-double of the season by the second quarter: 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Sabonis, who turns 25 years old on Monday, has been a professional for almost 10 years. He’s never experienced anything like this — an utterly dominant performance.
“Especially on the professional level,” he said with a smile. “We were just out there having fun. We didn’t even realize the score most of the time.”
No need to watch the scoreboard when their lead grew to 36 by the second frame. It was 82-46 at halftime, and their cushion ballooned to 56 after three quarters.
“There were obviously many (issues,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “That was a clean uppercut.
“It’s embarrassing.”
Just take a look at this starting lineup. This Thunder group went 1-15 in April.
The Pacers got it done on both ends — their best offensive game in NBA franchise history AND they held the Thunder below 100 points. They delivered the Thunder the largest margin of defeat in NBA history.
“Tonight was definitely the craziest (game) I’ve been a part of, just the way shots were falling for everyone and the way the ball was moving,” McDermott said. “It was just really fun to be a part of.”
By the Numbers…
This box score was remarkable and needed to explored.
It’s the most points scored in NBA franchise history, topping the previous high (150) set on Dec. 28, 1982 at Denver. That game went into overtime and the Pacers lost, 155-150.
The ABA Pacers scored 177 points in a game — April 12, 1970 against Pittsburgh.
Stanley’s late triple also allowed the Pacers to set a new franchise record for 3s in a game with 21. Just 31 3-point attempts were needed to make 21, a scorching 63.6 3-point percentage.
The Thunder only made eight shots from downtown and were outscored by 39 points from the 3-point line alone.
Their 86 first-half points was their highest-scoring half of the season.
They finished with more assists (41), a season high, than the Thunder had field goals (38).
The Pacers finished the game 57 of 87 (65.5 percent) — their highest field goal percentage of the season by nearly six percent.
The Pacers shot 70 percent (46 for 66) over the first three quarters compared to the Thunder’s 33.3-percent clip, and led 126-70 entering the fourth.
They scored at least 40 points in each of the first three quarters.
The Thunder shot 34.2 percent, the lowest of the season by a Pacers opponent.
The Thunder attempted 111 shots and missed nearly as many shots (73) as the Pacers attempted (87).
OKC missed more free throws than it made, going 11 for 23.
Plus/minus is one of the worst statistic, especially with a small sample size. But still, Sabonis and Oshae Brissett finished +49. That’s unheard of.
After all that, some might say the Pacers fleeced the Thunder.
Again.
Domas’s Dad played in the only thing close to last night that I can think of: https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199802270IND.html
My recollection is that is the only time in NBA history one team doubled the score of their opponent.