It wasn’t pretty. But for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it got the job done.
The Thunder overcame poor shooting from deep and an aggressive Indiana Pacers defense Friday night for a 111-104 win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led a fourth-quarter rally after struggling for much of the game.
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With the win, the Thunder tie the series at 2-2 and re-seize the home-court advantage they relented with a Game 1 loss in Oklahoma City. The series now shifts back to Oklahoma City for Game 5.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads late rally
The Pacers appeared to be in control with an 87-80 lead heading into the fourth quarter against a Thunder team that had struggled on offense for most of the night. But the Thunder kept close enough for their MVP to lead the late charge.
The Pacers limited Gilgeous-Alexander as a playmaker and managed to keep him off the free-throw line for much of the night. But the NBA’s MVP played like one in the fourth quarter.
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Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine straight Thunder points and secured the first Thunder lead of the second half at 104-103 with 2:23 remaining with a contested baseline jumper.
The Thunder never trailed again. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 35 points, three rebounds and three steals. He shot 12 of 24 from the floor and hit all three of this free-throw attempts. He scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander did not record an assist for the first time in five years as the Thunder struggled as a team to move the ball on a night where they recorded just 10 assists on 37 made field goals.
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But he made up for his lack of playmaking by taking over the game down the stretch to quiet a once-raucous Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd that believed it was on the verge of celebrating a 3-1 Finals lead.
“We played with desperation to the end the game, and that’s why we won,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder in a fourth-quarter Game 4 rally. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
(Maddie Meyer via Getty Images)
Tough stretch run for Bennedict Mathurin
Game 3 Pacers hero Bennedict Mathurin had a rough fourth quarter after leading Indiana’s Game 3 win with 27 points off the bench.
With the game on the line, Mathurin committed multiple miscues in the final minute. He missed three free throws and committed two away-from-play fouls. The away-from-play fouls took place before the ball was inbounded and awarded the Thunder a free throw each time while allowing them to retain possession.
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The late mistakes combined with Gilgeous-Alexander’s sterling fourth quarter were enough for Oklahoma City to secure the rally.
SGA finally makes it to the free-throw line
In addition to struggling as a playmaker, Gilgeous-Alexander also struggled for much of the night at one of the things he does best — getting to the line.
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t attempt a free throw in the first half. His first free throws didn’t arrive until 6:06 remained in the third quarter. He hit both, but didn’t shoot another until the fourth.
But with the game on the line, Gilgeous-Alexander repeatedly drew fouls to secure shots and stop the clock. And he delivered when he got to the line, hitting all eight of his attempts in the fourth quarter to complete his 10-of-10 night. When the game was over, only Jalen Williams (11 of 11) had more free throw attempts than Gilgeous-Alexander.
Thunder overcome awful shooting night from deep
Ball movement wasn’t the only thing vexing the the Thunder on Friday.
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They also posted one of their worst 3-point shooting nights of the season. At halftime, Luguentz Dort had the only made Thunder 3 on a 1-of-10 first-half effort as a team.
Things didn’t get much better after halftime. The Thunder finished 3 of 17 (17.6%) from deep, a rate that allowed the Pacers to maintain control until late. But one of those three made 3s was critical in OKC’s late rally.
With the clock ticking under three minutes, Williams thought about a 3, but dribbled inside the line and kicked it back out to Gilgeous-Alexander on the wing. Gilgeous-Alexander pulled up from beyond the arc for his only made 3 on four attempts that cut Indiana’s lead to 103-102.
The Thunder made up for their struggles from deep with 47.4% shooting from the floor. They secured a 43-33 advantage in rebounds, including a 12-7 edge on the offensive glass that led to second chances.
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They forced 15 Pacers turnovers and repeatedly got to and delivered at the line while hitting 34 of 38 (89.5%) of their free-throw attempts. The Pacers countered with a 25-of-33 (75.8%) free-throw effort on their home floor.
Caruso, Williams step up
It’s not a Thunder win without at least one big effort off the bench. On Friday, it was Alex Caruso who delivered. Caruso’s active defense and efficiency from the field helped keep the Thunder close while they struggled elsewhere.
Caruso finished the night with 20 points, three rebounds and five steals. He shot 7 of 9 from the floor. And his steals repeatedly turned into chances on offense. He became the first player in NBA history to have two 20-point games in the Finals after not having a single one during the regular season.
Williams, meanwhile, paced the starting unit early and finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chet Holmgren was a force in the post while tallying 14 points, 15 rebounds and a block.
Pacers come up excruciatingly short
As is usually the case, the Pacers got a strong balanced effort with five players in double figures, including four starters.
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Former NBA champion Pascal Siakam paced Indiana early with 10 points and four steals in the first quarter. He finished with a team-high 20 points alongside eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Obi Toppin took his turn as Indiana’s bench leader and led the Pacers to their third-quarter advantage with eight of his 17 points in the stanza.
Tyrese Haliburton finished with 18 points, seven assists, two rebounds and two steals in a balanced effort in the box score. But his game-high five turnovers helped open the door for the Thunder rally.
Now, instead of a 3-1 lead, the Pacers go back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 with the series tied and the Thunder back in possession of home-court advantage.
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It was a tremendous fourth-quarter swing in the wrong direction Friday night that could ultimately cost the Pacers an NBA championship.
