Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s survival manual in the NBA

The champion Oklahoma City Thunder have opened the season 2-0. That’s hardly news for a team that won 68 regular season games last year—the fourth-best mark in NBA history—and has every reason to believe it can be, ahem, even better. With a young core, the confidence of a reigning champion, and a project still buzzing with energy, they’re already eyeing that mythical 70-win territory reached only by Stephen Curry’s Warriors (73) and Michael Jordan’s Bulls (72).

So the real story isn’t the 2-0 record—it’s how they got there: two double-overtime games to start the season, something no team had ever faced before. And not against pushovers either. First came a 125-124 win over the Rockets, widely seen (alongside Denver) as their main threat in the West, then a 141-135 triumph in Indianapolis against the same Pacers they beat in June’s unforgettable seven-game Finals.

The atmosphere at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was electric. Indiana, true to Hoosier tradition, hadn’t forgotten who denied them the title. The game lived up to the moment—no team led by more than seven points through 58 minutes, spanning over 200 minutes of real time. It ended with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—reigning MVP, Finals MVP, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer—putting the finishing touches on a grueling win, all while being serenaded by boos and chants of “free throw merchant.”

The criticism that Shai benefits too much from drawing fouls was front and center again, with officials constantly calling contact on his uniquely slithery moves (delicious, really). He finished 23-for-26 from the line, both career highs in free throws made and attempted, and poured in 55 points, plus 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Through two games, he’s averaging 45 points. Against Houston, he scored 24 in the fourth quarter and both overtimes; this time, it was 26. He now has as many 50-point games with the Thunder (five) as Russell Westbrook.

Both the Thunder and Pacers built their Finals runs on depth, and that strength showed again here. Despite missing Jalen Williams (out for the early part of the season) and their defensive guard duo Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace, OKC kept the pace. Indiana, without Tyrese Haliburton—lost in Game 7 of the Finals to an Achilles injury—and Andrew Nembhard, who went down with a shoulder issue before halftime, had to improvise after also losing TJ McConnell to injury.

None of it slowed the game down. Shai was monumental once more, even amid debates about his foul-drawing (to start the season, he’s made 27 field goals and 33 free throws). Pascal Siakam (32 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists) and Benedict Mathurin (36 points, 11 rebounds), the 23-year-old guard fresh off an expired rookie deal, led the way for Indiana. The game produced 91 free throws and 70 fouls—one whistle roughly every 50 seconds. And as in June, the Thunder prevailed.

They started 0-for-8 from three until undrafted rookie Chris Youngblood hit their first. They finished a poor 10-of-37 from deep and sit below 30% on the season, with their offense yet to fully click beyond Shai’s heroics. But with Jalen Williams sidelined and the opponents being the Rockets’ towering defense and the Pacers’ turbo-charged attack, it’s hard to judge harshly. Rick Carlisle’s team, true to form, played fast, fearless, and tactically sharp—everything that defines them.

Chet Holmgren (15 points, 12 rebounds) wasn’t quite at his Game 1 level, but Aaron Wiggins (23 points) caught fire in overtime, while Ajay Mitchell emerged as perhaps OKC’s biggest early-season revelation: 26 points and 4 assists after scoring 16 in the opener. A 23-year-old second-year guard, he looks ready to cement a spot in the rotation after an injury-hampered rookie year. Sam Presti clearly agrees—he’s already locked him up on a bargain deal: three years, under nine million dollars.

The Pacers, for their part, showed that even without Haliburton and Myles Turner (now with Milwaukee), they’ll compete with anyone. Their style—relentless pace, smart defense, balanced offense—remains intact. Despite foul trouble for Aaron Nesmith and new starting center Isaiah Jackson, they pushed deep into double overtime. Ben Sheppard and two-way guard Taelon Peter handled point guard duties, while Siakam, Mathurin, and promising forward Jarace Walker carried the load. Obi Toppin added 20 off the bench, embodying the fast, resilient, and defiant spirit of these Pacers.

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They’ll be there every night—and probably more alive in the East than most predicted when Haliburton went down. The only shame, once again, is that the Thunder slipped away with the win. The defending champs have survived two brutal tests, are 2-0... and still don’t have Jalen Williams. What an outrage.

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