Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers impressive road win over Oklahoma City Thunder

The Indiana Pacers grabbed perhaps their best win of the season on Tuesday night, taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. Outside of one stretch in the third quarter, the Pacers looked like the better team for the entire matchup. Their tempo and execution on both ends was where it needed to be.

For Indiana, it was a much-needed big win after a substandard run of results. They just finished up a short road trip with a 2-0 record after going 2-4 in the preceding stretch, and that six-game span featured multiple losses in winnable games. The Pacers responded in a major way, and they did it during a key time on the calendar.

"We know what's at stake. We know all these games are basically playoff games," Pacers center Myles Turner said while standing on the court during a postgame interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the action. The blue and gold have made it clear recently that they know how important every outing is the rest of the way.

The Pacers were up by nine points in the first 2:47 of action, and they went on to win by 10. For a team that has been dealing with slow starts recently, it was a meaningful first three minutes. They got off on the right foot to earn a victory.

Indiana improved to 37-29 with the win and moved back into sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 16 games to go. The race for the final playoff spots in the East will go down to the wire, so victories like this one are vital.

Because this outing was so important for the blue and gold, all of their big takeaways are positive.

Myles Turner was fantastic on both ends

Turner continued a recent run of terrific form by impacting the game on both ends of the court. The 27-year old finished with a team-high 24 points on 11/17 shooting  — his inside-out play on offense gave Thunder big man Chet Holmgren fits.

On defense, Turner patrolled the paint and swatted away four shots. That's on top of the ones he prevented from happening altogether. In his last three outings, Turner has 14 blocks. He's playing well on that end of the floor.

The veteran big man also added four assists and a steal, and he got the Pacers off to a good start. Turner scored nine points in the first 5.5 minutes of play — at the time, the Thunder had seven points total.

"It's our start. This game as opposed to our last game. It was an emphasis tonight," Turner said of the opening minutes after the win.

Turner's defensive level has been great recently, and he's averaging over 17 points per game since the All-Star break. He's given the Pacers what they need of late and was vital Tuesday night.

The Pacers defended well again

With Turner anchoring from the back, the Pacers played a great defensive game against Oklahoma City. The hosts, who hold the league's number three offense, scored just 111 points, their 15th-fewest this season.

It all started with Indiana's defense against MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder star is usually terrific, but Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and a mixture of others defended him throughout the night and gave him trouble.

"Everything starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Really doing a good job of being physical early, communicating often, and keeping him out of the paint," Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce said of his team's defense on the star guard during a halftime interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game.

The star guard did have 30 points, but it took him 27 shots to make it happen. He had four turnovers as well. The Pacers made him uncomfortable, and it threw off the Thunder's offensive rhythm.

Oklahoma City did well to make a solid percentage of their threes and stay in the game, but the blue and gold largely combated their offensive style. It was crucial to Indiana's success, and it was their second-straight solid defensive outing.

Indiana earned one of their best wins this season

The Pacers have many impressive wins this season, but this victory in Oklahoma City might be their best.

Indiana has two wins over Boston, which are both excellent in quality. They were both in Indianapolis, though. The Pacers have road wins over Cleveland, New York, Miami, and Milwaukee (twice) this season — and their best road win may have been over the Philadelphia 76ers with Joel Embiid healthy back in November. The Pacers do have an impressive resume.

Beating a Thunder team that entered the night at 45-19 on the road may be the blue and gold's best win yet. Oklahoma City has welcomed all challengers and has a top-five offense and defense this season. They have been tough to beat and play a unique style. To pull off a victory against that group and lead for almost 48 minutes is extremely impressive.

"Just our poise... I just think we had a lot of fearless guys," Turner said of the key to his team pulling away late for the victory. After falling behind by one late in the third quarter, the Pacers went on a 10-2 run and never gave the lead back. With every game being more important late in the season, Indiana rose to the occasion.

The Pacers don't have much time to celebrate as they return home to host the Chicago Bulls tonight.