Pacers News: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Praised For ‘Masterpiece’ in Comeback vs Indiana

The Pacers' five-game winning streak came to an end thanks to a masterclass from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Dec 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers won five straight games and six of their last seven prior to playing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. It looked like they were going to improve their winning streak to six early in that game after taking an early 15-point lead in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, they were not able to sustain that lead. They slipped in the fourth quarter and fell to the Thunder 120-114. It was a game that showed Tyrese Haliburton play his worst game of the season. He took just six shots and scored only four points in this game.

As bad as Haliburton was in this game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the exact opposite. He was by far the best player on the court, scoring 45 points on 15-22 shooting. He was a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line and hit 4-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the best players in the NBA in the last few years. He was a first-team All-NBA selection last year. His coach, Mark Daignault, offered some effusive praise for him after carving up the Pacers, especially in the second half when things got close.

"I thought all eleven guys on the team contributed. I thought we had a couple very critical stretches there in the third quarter, to start the fourth quarter, and had a lot of contributions from a lot of guys. Everybody seemed to make a big play for us tonight on a night where we were playing a very hot opponent. With that said, Shai was outstanding tonight."

Mark Daigneault on Shai: “That was a masterpiece.” pic.twitter.com/llSspq9GSd

— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) December 27, 2024

Gilgeous-Alexander deserved every bit of praise that he got for that game because he was fantastic. Because of his performance, the Thunder have now won nine straight games, the longest active winning streak in the NBA. They are the hottest team in the league.

On the flip side, the Pacers need to figure out how to make sure Haliburton doesn't disappear in moments like this. He needs to be more aggressive with his scoring in contests like this. It didn't help that Obi Toppin was lost to a sprained ankle early in the game, but Haliburton has to elevate his play in that case.

The Pacers get a chance to get the bad taste of a loss out of their mouth quickly because they get to take on the Celtics Friday evening on the second night of a back-to-back.

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