Shai braces for sudden death

INDIANA (AFP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder “sucked” in a sloppy, lopsided game six loss to the Indiana Pacers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, but he’s confident they have what it takes to claim the title in Game 7.

“The way I see it, we sucked tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player, said after the Thunder’s bid to close out the Pacers ended in a 108-91 defeat in Indianapolis.

Averaging more than 30 points per game in the Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 21 to go along with four rebounds, two assists, and eight of the Thunder’s 21 turnovers.

“Some of them, I think, were carelessness, not being as focused, not being engaged,” he said of the Thunder’s uncharacteristic turnovers.

“They played harder than us tonight as well. When a team plays harder, they turn the other team over.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s eight turnovers were more than his seven baskets, but Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the defeat was on the entire team.

“First of all, credit Indiana,” Daigneault said.

“I thought they obviously earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes.”

“That’s the story of the game. They went out there and attacked the game.”

“From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic,” Daigneault added.

“It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn’t one guy. Just we were not where we needed to be on either end of the floor for much of the game.”

Gilgeous-Alexander admitted that the chance of clinching the franchise’s first title since it relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 was “definitely in the back of our minds.”