The Kia MVP erupted for 34 points and 8 assists in OKC’s Game 2 win over Indiana to even the series.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Indiana Pacers scored just as efficiently in Game 2 of the NBA Finals as they did in Game 1.
The difference was on defense, where the Pacers couldn’t stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34 points and eight assists) and the Oklahoma City Thunder. For the second straight game, the Pacers recovered from an ugly first half and found their offense in the third and fourth quarters. However, they couldn’t get the necessary stops to make things interesting.
Their issues started with trying to stop the MVP in the pick-and-roll. The Thunder scored 40 points directly out of a ball-screen for Gilgeous-Alexander, either from the MVP himself or from the teammate he passed to. That was their fifth-highest total all season and their second-highest in the playoffs, per Second Spectrum tracking.
Here are some notes, numbers and film on how Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder had the Pacers on their heels in a 123-107 victory …
1. Target No. 1 is Tyrese Haliburton
Over the two games, Tyrese Haliburton has been the screener’s defender on 22 ball-screens for Gilgeous-Alexander, the most of any Pacer. Overall, the Thunder haven’t scored very efficiently (0.73 points per chance) when Haliburton has been put into the action, but they’ve mostly gotten good shots out of it.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s first bucket of Game 2 came on his first screen from the player (Cason Wallace) Haliburton was guarding. Andrew Nembhard was flattened by the screen and Gilgeous-Alexander got Haliburton on his heels …
Early in the third quarter, Haliburton was much more aggressive with his coverage, hedging out 30 feet from the basket. But that allowed Wallace to slip into space and get an uncontested floater in the paint.
Targeting Haliburton isn’t unconventional for the Thunder. In the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander had 1,106 ball-screens set for him by guards. That was the most for any player in the 12 seasons of Second Spectrum tracking.
Most ball-screens with guard as a screener, since 2013-14
| Player | Season | Screens | Per 100 | PTS/Direct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 2024-25 | 1,106 | 20.4 | 1.14 |
| Luka Doncic | 2022-23 | 972 | 20.3 | 1.18 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 2023-24 | 941 | 17.6 | 1.15 |
| Luka Doncic | 2023-24 | 852 | 15.6 | 1.05 |
| Jalen Brunson | 2024-25 | 782 | 16.9 | 1.11 |
Per 100 = Ball-screens per 100 possessions
PTS/Direct = Points per possession when the screen led directly to a shot, turnover or trip to the line
via Second Spectrum
2. Pulling the bigs far from the basket
Though Haliburton remained one of the top targets on Sunday, screens for Gilgeous-Alexander were more evenly distributed (regarding the screener’s defender) than in Game 1. The priority seemed less about which Pacer they were attacking and more about the location of the screen.
The Thunder’s ball-screens for Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday were set an average of 30.3 feet from the basket. That wasn’t a huge jump from Game 1 (29.4), but it was the furthest average distance in any game he’s played this season.
On the possession before the Wallace slip, we first saw Chet Holmgren try to set a screen for Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt. Nembhard avoided that one (with Myles Turner’s help), but when Holmgren returned with another screen, the MVP blew right past Turner, drew help, and found Jalen Williams wide open in the left corner …
Thomas Bryant also had issues containing Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Thunder have now scored 35 points on 25 possessions (1.40 per) when a screen for the MVP by either Turner or Bryant’s man has led directly to a shot, turnover or trip to the line.
3. Thunder play four-on-three
Even if the Pacers do a better job of staying in front of Gilgeous-Alexander, those higher screens stretch out the defense, allowing the Thunder to play four-on-three behind the initial pick-and-roll coverage.
Midway through the third, Isaiah Hartenstein hit Nembhard with a screen at the logo. Turner kept Gilgeous-Alexander in front of him, but Hartenstein rolled into the paint, drew help and hit Alex Caruso (diving behind the help) for a layup …
That was another play where Nembhard got flattened by the screen. Pick-and-roll defense isn’t just about the screener’s defender. This kind of screen navigation from Bennedict Mathurin will need to be more common for the Pacers than it was in Game 2 …
Through the first three rounds, the difference between the Pacers’ wins (123 points scored per 100 possessions) and losses (101.3 per 100) was much more about their offense than their defense. But the Thunder may never allow them to score that efficiently.
If they’re going to win Game 3 on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), they’ll need to be better at navigating screens, containing the MVP, and rotating behind their initial pick-and-roll coverage.
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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