Tyrese Haliburton said it plainly after the Indiana Pacers’ 123-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.
“I think I’ve had two really poor first halves,” Haliburton said. “I just have to figure out how to be better earlier in games. But kudos to them. They are a great defensive team.”
Now, with the best-of-seven series tied 1-1, Haliburton and the Pacers know they must respond quickly as the Finals shift to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“We’ve just got to turn the page, focus on Game 3,” All-Star forward Pascal Siakam said. “That’s the biggest game of the year.”
Thunder’s Big Second-Quarter Run Turns Game 2
The Pacers looked poised early. With 2:43 left in the first quarter, Haliburton knocked down a 27-foot 3-pointer to give Indiana a 20-17 lead.
But Oklahoma City’s response was emphatic. The Thunder closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run and then dominated the next stretch, outscoring Indiana, 35-9, over a span of nearly 10 minutes.
“That was a big problem,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “You can’t be a team that’s reactive and expect to be successful or have consistency.”
Oklahoma City led 59-41 at halftime and never looked back. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 34 points on 11-for-21 shooting. The Thunder shot 48.8 percent from the field and controlled the rebounding battle (43-35), points in the paint (42-34), and bench scoring (48-34).
The Pacers struggled to generate offense in the paint. Indiana scored zero points in the paint in the first quarter and was outscored 26-12 in that area in the first half.
“We have to do a better job of getting to the paint,” Carlisle said. “I feel like in the first half we were just moving the ball on the outside, and I don’t think we had a single point in the paint in the first quarter.”
Haliburton finished with 17 points — 12 of them coming in the fourth quarter — but struggled to find rhythm early. He made just two field goals through the first three quarters and committed five turnovers.
“Our offense is built from the inside-out, and we have to do a better job getting downhill,” Haliburton said. “They collapse and make plays from there. We can do a better job, watch the film, and see where we can get better going into Game 3.”
Pacers Know Haliburton Must Set the Tone
The Thunder’s aggressive point-of-attack defense and rim protection clearly disrupted Indiana’s offense in Game 2. Oklahoma City swarmed the ball early, clogged driving lanes, and forced Indiana into passive perimeter movement — particularly during its decisive first-half run.
Haliburton acknowledged that Oklahoma City’s defensive energy set the tone and said the Pacers must do a better job of matching that intensity from the start, especially when trying to establish their paint-based attack.
“We have to do a better job of getting to the paint. It’s a lot easier said than done,” Haliburton said. “I feel like in the first half we were just moving the ball on the outside and I don’t think we had a single point in the paint in the first quarter, if I’m not mistaken. … So you know, our offense is built from the inside-out, and we have to do a better job getting downhill. They collapse and make plays from there. I thought we could improve a lot there.”
That inability to generate consistent paint pressure proved especially costly in the first half, when Indiana failed to score a single point inside during the opening quarter. Haliburton said that must change in Game 3 — starting with attacking Oklahoma City’s defense with more purpose.
“But yeah, man, they are flying around,” Haliburton explained. “They have got great point-of-attack defenders and great rim protectors. We can do a better job, watch the film, and see where we can get better going into Game 3.”
Carlisle said the Pacers must avoid the type of reactive play that cost them in the first half of Game 2, when Oklahoma City’s 35-9 run blew the game open and put Indiana in a hole it never escaped.
“You can’t spot a great team like this 15, 18, 20 points and expect to be able to chase them down,” Carlisle said. “It just doesn’t work that way.”
Haliburton, whose late-game heroics sealed Indiana’s stunning Game 1 win, knows he must lead by example — and help his team start faster. He said the focus now is on controlling what lies ahead, not what has already happened.
“It’s still a race, first to four,” he said. “We are going to our home court tied 1-1, and we love playing at home. Love playing in front of our fans. Our fans are amazing.”
With the series shifting to Indianapolis, the Pacers will count on Haliburton to set the tone early and get their attack flowing. Through two games, the All-NBA point guard has acknowledged that his slow first halves have hurt Indiana.
“I think through the course of the series or through these first two games, I’m learning where my spots are and where I can be better,” he said. “So we’ll take the good and the bad, watch film and see where we can improve the next game.”
Gainbridge Fieldhouse Set To Host NBA Finals
Now comes a pivotal stretch. Games 3 and 4 will mark the first NBA Finals games played in Indiana since 2000. The Pacers have been excellent at home, going 6-2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this postseason.
“I just know Gainbridge is going to be rocking,” center Myles Turner said. “I love our environment. You give credit where credit is due — this was a great environment [in OKC] tonight. But I expect it to be a lot louder in Indianapolis.”
The Pacers also have a history of responding well after losses. They are 4-0 in these playoffs following a loss and have won 11 straight games after a double-digit defeat dating back to March 10.
“We’ve been resilient all year,” Turner said. “We’ll regroup.”
Siakam added: “I don’t think it’s a consolation. I think you want to win every game you play. We are not happy with how the game went today. We’ve just got to turn the page, focus on Game 3.”
Carlisle said the key now is simple: a quick mental reset, which has fueled Indiana’s ability to bounce back throughout the postseason.
“Each day, as you are on a playoff run, is like a new day,” he said. “I find that looking back is a dangerous thing. We’ve got to keep our eye firmly where it needs to be, which is on now and the next thing.”
The Pacers will look for a better start — and a more aggressive first half from their All-NBA point guard — when the series resumes on Wednesday night.
