Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Third Consecutive Loss to the Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City dropped its third straight game without its two stars on Friday night.
The Thunder's final road trip on the year hasn't quite gone to plan.
Losing its stars to preserve them for the postseason has taken a toll on their standings in the Western Conference, as dropping three games now has them a full game out of the first seed. As shown from the organization's actions, It's undoubtedly more important to have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams fully healthy heading into the playoffs.
On Friday night, Indiana was able to take the season series with Oklahoma City getting beat by 14 on the Pacers' home floor.
A lack of scoring power, defensive correction and Indiana shooting a high clip from 3-point distance ultimately took the Thunder out of the game. They now sit at 52-25 on the season.
Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City's Friday night loss:
It's a Struggle from Three
Oklahoma City has not been themselves from distance on this five-game road stretch.
On the season, they are one of the best, if not the best, shooting teams in the NBA. They've been consistent virtually the entire season with efficient numbers from Williams, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and others.
In their past three outings and subsequent losses, they are dead last in the assocation in 3-point shooting percentage at just 28.3%, proving their outside shot has been one of their lackadaisacal points without Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams to play make and set up their sharpshooters.
It's not something that'll stick, obviously, a rough patch is seemingly inevitable. But they can't let this cold shooting stretch leak into the postseason by any means.
The Thunder had its Chance to Rumble
There were several opportunities for the Thunder to be able to take this game, and it's reflected in the box score.
Outside of the 3-point shooting, Oklahoma City matched nearly every important metric in the loss. Rebounding, field goal percentage, turnovers, even winning the fast break points and points in the paint battle.
After getting up by 10 in the first frame, it all seemed to crumble into the second. Indiana would maintain a tight hold on the lead for the remainder of the first half, but Oklahoma City would make their runs in the third, only to be drowned by free throws and threes from the Pacers. Into the final 12 minutes, Indiana kept at least a 10- to 12-point lead throughout the entire frame, and wouldn't allow the Thunder to make a pass.
Chet Didn't Fully Optimize His Opportunities
Chet Holmgren had a golden opportunity to put the team on his back and rally on the road to break the Thunder's slump. Just 18 minutes for Myles Turner who'd returned from a dislocated finger on Friday, along with only 13 minutes from Jalen Smith, who'd sprained his left ankle and would not return to the game.
Holmgren had a decent outing of course. 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks isn't something to complain about. But knowing what he can do, leaving eight shots from the field, five tries from three and two free throws on the table as he did will not win a team a game without Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams.
Those numbers will go a long way with those two on the court. But without them, Holmgren needs to bring much more to the table as a highly talented rookie with expectations. He hasn't made that leap yet, but his ability to take over a game may be more on display in his sophomore season.
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