Thunder extend Pacers' road woes with comeback win

[March 28, 2019]  Paul George scored 31 points and Russell Westbrook had yet another triple-double to help lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-99 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

George drove down the baseline on Wesley Matthews in the final four minutes and let go a high, arcing floater over Matthews' outstretched arm for an and-one chance.

It was that kind of night for both George and Matthews.

Early in the second half, the Thunder looked headed for yet another lackluster defeat as the Pacers built a 11-point lead.

But then came a massive third-quarter push.

The Thunder scored 24 consecutive points over a stretch of nearly seven minutes to seize control.
 

Even after Indiana went cold from the floor -- the Pacers missed 14 consecutive shots during that span -- Oklahoma City took a bit to get geared up on the offensive end.

The Thunder missed five out of six shots to start the run, but their defense helped keep the deficit manageable.

Then Oklahoma City's offense took off, hitting eight consecutive shots, capped by George backing down Matthews and drawing the foul as he created separation.

Steven Adams scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Thunder, his highest-scoring game since Dec. 14.

Adams scored eight of his points during Oklahoma City's big third-quarter run and was a major reason the Thunder were within striking distance at halftime, as he scored 16 points before the break.

Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) goes to the basket as Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma City won 107-99. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City was just 4 of 17 from behind the 3-point line in the first half, then hit 9 of 19 from behind the arc in the second half.

Westbrook finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

The loss kept Indiana's road woes going. The Pacers have dropped nine consecutive games away from home and five of six overall.

Oklahoma City's lead was dwindling in the fourth quarter, cut to five on back-to-back 3-pointers by Bojan Bogdanovic.

But then Westbrook led a break following a missed Bogdanovic shot, driving before floating an alley-oop pass to Terrance Ferguson to extend the lead back to nine.

The assist clinched Westbrook's league-leading 29th triple-double on the season.

Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 28 points. Domantas Sabonis added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Myles Turner had 12 points and 14 boards.

--Field Level Media

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