Steven Adams had 23 points (22 in the paint) and 13 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder went on a 17-6 run in the third quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 100-95.
The Pacers went on a 15-5 run to lead 61-56 with 6:24 left in the third quarter. Paul George’s corner 3-pointer put the Thunder ahead for good with 5:18 left in the quarter. Russell Westbrook scored 6 points during the run, and they led 73-67 with 1:28 left in the quarter and by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter.
The Pacers got within 96-95 on Thaddeus Young’s free throw with 40 seconds to play, but Alex Abrines answered with a tip-in, and the Pacers got no closer. They had the ball down 3 with 15 seconds left, but George stole the ball from Young, lifting the Thunder’s chance to win from 92% to 95%. A 3-pointer would have tied the game.
During clutch time, the Thunder outscored the Pacers 5-3. In the fourth quarter, Young had 2 of his 7 steals, and the Pacers scored 5 points off them.
George had 12 points and 3 steals.
For the Pacers, Victor Oladipo had 19 points (14 in the paint) and 6 assists but shot 9 for 26. Young had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals and 3 blocks.
The Pacers gave up 17 offensive rebounds, about 5 more than usual for the shots the Thunder missed.