SGA on late-game fatigue: 'Got to suck it up'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wouldn't spell arsenic acold arsenic to accidental that fatigue was a origin successful him fizzling successful the 4th fourth of Wednesday's Game 3 loss to the Pacers.

But Gilgeous-Alexander was adamant that fatigue can't beryllium an excuse, nary substance however overmuch the Pacers marque it a precedence to deterioration him down.

"You got to suck it up," Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse. "There's a maximum 4 games near successful the season. It's what you worked the full play for. It's what you worked each summertime for. To me, the mode I spot it, you got to suck it up, get it done and effort to get a win."

Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA MVP, finished with 24 points and 4 assists successful Game 3, a important drop-off from his sensational 34-point, eight-assist show successful Oklahoma City's Game 2 win. His six turnovers successful Wednesday's nonaccomplishment were the astir helium has committed successful a playoff game.

Gilgeous-Alexander was held to lone 3 points connected 1-of-3 shooting with nary assists arsenic the Pacers rallied successful the 4th fourth for the triumph that gave Indiana a 2-1 bid deficit.

"I deliberation we're trying to marque it pugnacious connected him," said Pacers shooting defender Andrew Nembhard, the superior defender connected Gilgeous-Alexander. "The biggest happening is conscionable you're persistent, trying to marque it pugnacious connected him. It's a squad job. We each person to beryllium locked successful and tied unneurotic connected that extremity of the level to get it done."

According to GeniusIQ tracking, a defender picked up Gilgeous-Alexander an mean of 65.5 feet distant from the handbasket erstwhile helium was bringing the shot up successful Game 3. That's the furthest of immoderate crippled successful his career, regular play oregon playoff.

Gilgeous-Alexander brought the shot up the level lone 23 times, his 2nd fewest successful a crippled this postseason.

The Pacers besides made Gilgeous-Alexander combat for each measurement successful the fractional court. Indiana blitzed him 12 times, the astir helium has ever faced successful a playoff game, according to ESPN Research.

And Indiana made Gilgeous-Alexander enactment relentlessly connected the different end, too. He was the superior defender successful 22 tract extremity attempts, which was besides his astir ever successful a playoff game.

Yet Gilgeous-Alexander downplayed exhaustion arsenic an contented successful the 4th quarter, erstwhile the Pacers outscored the Thunder by a 32-18 borderline for Indiana's 2nd comeback triumph of the series.

"I'm not excessively sure. I don't deliberation so," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's a carnal game. We've had plentifulness of carnal games. We've had games similar that wherever I've been large late, games wherever I've stunk late. I don't deliberation it was thing retired the blue, thing I hadn't seen before."