It’s Friday the 13th, and the Indiana Pacers look unfazed. What is bad luck to a team that keeps defying the odds?
The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder were enduringly dominant all season, but the Western Conference champions suddenly need to cross their fingers and knock on wood to avoid a 3-1 Finals deficit. Granted, OKC was in control for all of Game 2 and … well, most of Game 1. A pivotal clash now awaits, with the Thunder as two-possession road favorites despite Indy’s momentum.
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How to watch Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers Game 4
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Thunder at Pacers Game 4
Series odds: Thunder -250, Pacers +200
With two more wins, Indiana would become the most unlikely NBA champion in league history. Wilder still, it wouldn’t even be close — the Pacers opened the 2024-25 campaign with +6600 preseason title odds on BetMGM, and that bumped up to +8000 at the start of the playoffs. The current longest-shot title holders — Golden State, back in 2014-15 — opened at +2800 and narrowed down to +175 come postseason.
As they’ve done all spring, the Pacers came alive down the stretch of Game 3. They began Wednesday’s fourth quarter trailing by five points, then wound up winning by nine. OKC didn’t make a single 3 in the final period, and the usually-disciplined Thunder offense coughed up a playoff-high 19 turnovers across 48 minutes.
Bennedict Mathurin was the latest hero on a growing list of unlikely playoff Pacers, finishing with a team-high 27 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Game 1 hero Obi Toppin was excellent once again, tallying a plus-18 behind inspired defense and sturdy rebounding. And T.J. McConnell, unparalleled pest, came away with five steals. What a rounded performance by the second unit.
To take a coveted 3-1 series lead, Indiana should continue to zip around the ball and extend the Thunder’s defensive radius. Above all else, Rick Carlisle will keep trusting his 10-man rotation to keep OKC on edge with new looks. Through three Finals games, seven Pacers are averaging double-figure scoring, which is both totally loopy and the platonic ideal of this unrelenting group.
Oklahoma City needs more efficient offense from Jalen Williams to take Game 4 and knot up this series. Even after a strong showing on Wednesday (26 points on 18 shots), Williams is 10th on the team in Finals defensive rating and ninth in effective field goal percentage. Mark Daigneault may also reach for more Isaiah Hartenstein action: He was a plus-17 in the Game 2 win, but a minus-4 in fewer minutes last time out.
The Thunder will also be in better shape if their MVP frontman can generate easier looks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst game of the Finals thus far, with six turnovers and a series-low 24 points (despite a series-high 42 minutes). A slightly slower pace would favor OKC, too.
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On this day (June 13) in NBA playoffs history
1997 — Bulls 90, Jazz 86. With the game on the line and another championship in reach, Michael Jordan went to work at the elbow and … passed the ball to Steve Kerr?! From Mike Wise in The New York Times archive:
“Talent, resolve and leadership can take you so far. Jordan understands the vital importance of trusting teammates who play in his kingdom.
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“‘You can’t just believe in the superstars,’ he said. ‘You have to believe in everyone.’
“Jordan believed in Kerr tonight, just as he did in John Paxson in the 1993 finals. With 10 seconds remaining and Game 6 tied, Jordan knifed between a double team and saw Kerr standing a few steps behind the free-throw line, and he flicked him the ball. The reserve guard knocked down a 17-foot jump shot with five seconds remaining and no time on the shot clock, a perfect swish that lifted the Bulls to an electric 90-86 victory over the Utah Jazz before a delirious throng at the United Center.”
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(Photo of Tyrese Haliburton and Cason Wallace: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
