After getting off to slow start in the first half for a second consecutive game, the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton were not able to pull off another comeback Sunday night, dropping Game 2 of the NBA Finals 123-107 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Haliburton finished with 17 points and 6 assists but was limited to 3 points and 3 assists on 1-of-5 shooting in the first half as Indiana fell behind 59-41. It matched Indiana’s lowest first-half point total of the playoffs, as the Pacers shot just 35% as a team in the opening frame.
“This is who they are defensively,” said Haliburton, who walked with a noticeable limp when exiting his postgame news conference.”
“They got a lot of different guys who can guard the ball, fly around. … I just got to figure out how to be better earlier in games. Kudos to them, they’re a great defensive team. But [I will] watch the film, see where I can get better.”
Before Haliburton’s game winner at the end of Game 1, he also struggled to get much going through the first half, putting up 6 points and 3 assists on 2-of-4 shooting.
“Our offense is built from the inside out,” Haliburton said. “We got to do a better job getting downhill. They collapse and then make plays there, but I thought we could improve a lot there. But they’re flying around. They got great point-of-attack defenders. They got great rim protectors. They’re a great defense.”
The Pacers now head to Indianapolis for the city’s first NBA Finals game since 2000, with the series tied at one game apiece.
