For parts of Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night, it appeared that the Oklahoma City Thunder would go down 3-1 to the Indiana Pacers, but as they’ve done throughout the season, they find ways to get the job done.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth, as the Thunder rallied late to take Game 4 111-104 at Gainbridge Arena to tie the series at two.
The pivotal Game 5 is in Oklahoma City on Monday night.
Indiana, who had their largest of the game at 10 points in the third, was in control for most of the second half, and they took an 87-80 into the fourth, but OKC kept coming. They stayed within striking distance.
OKC started the fourth on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 89. From there, the teams went back and forth, and eventually, OKC would take control behind Gilgeous Alexander.
The league MVP would score 15 of the Thunder’s final 16 points.
In Game 3, Indiana dominated the fourth quarter and outscored the Thunder 32-18, and in Game 4, OKC took control in the final stanza and outscored the Pacers 31-17.
For the Thunder, Jalen Williams had 27 points; Alex Caruso chipped in with 20 off the bench, and Chet Holmgren had 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 20 points; Tyrese Haliburton had 18 points and seven assists, and Obi Toppin added 17 points off the bench.
Bottom Line:
If the Indiana Pacers lose this series, they will point back to Game 4.
This game was so winnable for the Pacers. OKC was there to be beaten. The Thunder was 3/18 from deep, and they appeared out of sync at times on Friday night.
However, great players do great things when they are needed the most, and that’s what Gilgeous-Alexander did for the Thunder.
In addition, Bennedict Mathurin, who was superb in Game 3, was terrible down the stretch in Game 4.
In the final 44.0 seconds of the game, Mathurin committed two dead-ball fouls, which led to one free throw and the ball being returned to OKC on both occasions. Furthermore, he missed three of four free throws. If he makes those free throws, the game may have looked a little different.
OKC has the homecourt advantage back, and they appear to have the edge at this point. However, one thing you don’t do is count out these Indiana Pacers, so we wait and see what happens in Game 5.
Leave a Reply