Thunder 111 vs 104 Pacers Game 4 summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Finals
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Getting a win on the road, to take back home court advantage. That's huge. But don't tell SGA or any of the Thunder players. They are on a mission, and they know they need to come in Game 5 with the same sort of desperation they showed in the last few Finals games.
The MVP, SGA, capped the game with this three ball from the wing and now the series shifts back to OKC all square at 2-2. It was another savant performance from Shai, who helped lock down on defense and held the Pacers to 17 points total in the final 12 minutes.
SGA was just kind of chilling until the game needed some one to put it to rest. He did that to the tune of 15 of his 35 points in the 4th quarter.
Chet is like the Kirstaps Porzingis for the Celtics last year. There is no one that can match up with him. If you are a big guy, you don't want to guard him on the perimeter, and if you are a smaller guy than you want to avoid going down into the paint with him.
When nothing else was working for the Thunder, they relied on Jalen Williams. The soon to be superstar had 27 points, and went 11/11 from the FT line. SGA is always going to get all the accolades and the medals, and the awards, but for me this is the guy that makes this team work.
Toppin had a couple of huge three balls in the third quarter, and that put the Pacers in the drivers seat heading into the fourth quarter.
SGA had a slow start to his Game 4, but you just got the sense, with the season on the line the MVP was going to show his true colors when it mattered most.
The Thunder were trailing at halftime but only by four points. The Pacers would keep that lead for the entire third quarter some fantastic bench play from Obi Toppin who had 17 points. Aside from that, no one else really had a great game for the Pacers. Pascal ended the night with 20. Haliburton with 18 and Turner with 12.
Haliburton played a solid game, but if you saw the scoreline already than you know that the the Pacers point guard didn't get to his 20 point quota. When he scores 20+ the Pacers are 8-1. Tonight he finished with 18 points.
Indy started the game 4/4 from downtown, but by halftime they were 7/19 from behind the arc. They cooled down and let OKC take the lead but it wouldn't last for too long.
Where would this team be without Alex Caruso? He had 20 points off the bench, and added another 5 steals. He is the spark plug that this team needs, but he also has the NBA Finals experience that this team craves. He is the perfect compliment to SGA, and Williams and Holmgren.
This game was played on a knifes edge for the majority of the night. Both teams had their fair share of the lead but it always seemed like the Pacers were the more in control of the game, at least for the first three quarters.
The Oklahoma City Thunder went into Game 4 knowing that they needed a win before coming back home, and they delivered in the most important game of the series and the season. Shai Gilgeoous-Alexander was brilliant in the must win game, scoring 35 points in the 111-104 win.
The Pacers came out lighting it up from three point range, hitting their first four threes but Jalen Williams lifted his team in the first quarter scoring 12 points in the first 12 minutes.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The Thunder tie up the series with a massive win on the road thanks to a fantastic final quarter from Indy!
SGA to the line again and he hits both FTs with 7 to go.
Mathurin whistled for another away from the ball foul and SGA hits the FT with 19 to go.
Mathurin with a steal off the inbound and he gets fouled but he misses one of two FTs with 19.1 to go.
Mathruin was called for an away from the ball foul and SGA hit the FT.
Mathurin to the line after the loose ball foul on Holmgren but he misses both FTs and the Thunder take a timeout with 23.8 to go.
SGA pivots and draws the foul on Nesmith on the off balanced floater with 0.3 seconds on the shot clock. SGA hits both FTs with 44 seconds to go.
1:00 to go.
Dort with the steal and he is sent to the line after the foul on Turner and he hits one of two FTs with 2:00 to go.
SGA on the step back from the baseline and OKC have their first lead since the first half!
Timeout IND with 2:21 to go in the 4th quarter.
Williams with the extra pass and SGA nails the three from the wing with 2:44 to go!
Haliburton slices down the land and he lays it up and in off the glass.
Nesmith sends SGA to the line where he hits both FTs with 3:34 to go in the 4th. Those were his third and fourth FTs of the game.
Nesmith to the line after the break and he hits the second of two FTs.
Nesmith to the line after the foul on Dort. Haliburton's three was blocked but Nesmith chased it down and goes to the line where he hits one before a timeout from the Thunder with 3:52 to go in the 4th quarter.
Haliburton to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits both FTs with 4:19 to go.
SGA with an offensive rebound off the Williams miss and he hits the leaner on the baseline.
Haliburton drives down the right side before hanging it high off the window.
Williams side stepping the defense down low and he lays it up off the glass.
Hartenstein got stripped on his way up down low, but regathered and put it back up and in.
Foul on Wallace who sends Turner to the line where he hits both FTs wit 6:09 to go in the 4th quarter.
Nembhard off the dribble and he hits the step back from the FT line with 7:00 to go.
Williams down the lane and he scoops it up and in off the glass.
Haliburton gets to the rack and lays it up and in in traffic.
Caruso to the line after the foul on Sheppard and he hits one of two FTs.
SGA misses the three ball but Holmgren was there for the put back slam!
SGA misses the three ball and Holmgren is there for the put back down low.
Timeout Pacers with 9:28 to go in the 4th.
Holmgren to the line after the foul on Nesmith and he hits both FTs.
Turnover by OKC and Toppin releases for the transition slam!
Caruso starts the quarter with a baseline jumper and he's got 19 points off the bench.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE FOURTH QUARTER WITH THE PACERS UP BY 7!!!
Williams to hits the mid range jumper to end the quarter and we are done with three quarters here from Indy.
Siakam to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits one of two FTs.
Williams to the line after the foul on Toppin and he hits both FTs.
Toppin to the line after the foul on Wallace but he misses both FTs.
Siakam dumps it down to Toppin on the baseline and he slams it home! First double digit lead for Indy!!!
Mathurin to the line after the foul on Dort and he hits both FTs.
Caruso from the wing and he strings the three ball off the feed from Williams!
Haliburton slices down the lane and lays it up and in for the Pacers largest lead of the game!
Caruso to the line after the foul on Siakam and he hits one of two FTs.
Haliburton kicks out to the corner for Toppin who drills a second straight three pointer!
Thunder timeout with 4:11 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Siakam with an extra pass for Toppin who drills the three from the top of the key!
SGA missed the baseline jumper but Caruso was there for the tip in.
SGA pulls up from inside the FT line and he hits the short jump.
SGA to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Turner.
Nembhard in the corner and he drills the three ball off the kick out from Haliburton.
SGA picks off the pass from Haliburton and he lays it up and in.
Turner with an extra pass to Siakam who drills the three ball from the top of the key!
Timeout Thunder with 7:16 to go in the 3rd quarter.
SGA into the paint and he hits the short jumper.
Turner off the one legged step back and he hits it before the shot clock buzzer sounds!
Turner to the line after the foul on Hartenstein and he hits both FTs.
Step back jumper from Nembhard outside the lane and he strokes it.
Holmgren puts it on the deck and he lays it up and in off the glass.
Williams gets to the cup and he hits the lay up and the foul. FT is god after the foul on Nesmith.
Holmgren sends Siakam to the line and he hits both FTs.
WE ARE BACK IN INDIANA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!
Haliburton may not have been as involved as he was in the first half of Game 3, but he's still got 8 points and 5 assists. We all know, when he gets 20+ points, the Pacers are 8-1 in the postseason.
Nesmith hasn't had a huge game but he had a couple of huge moments in the second quarter. He' got 6 points, and 7 rebounds and has hit both threes he's 'taken.
As always Caruso came off the bench and put in some great minutes to inject a little life into the game for the Thunder. He's got 11 points and 4 steals on the game.
Lu Dort has been sensational from downtown in this series and in the postseason. He's 2/2 from the field and has 5 points.
Jalen Williams got off to a great start with 12 points in the first quarter and he carried the Thunder for the first 12 minutes of the game. Indy went up double digits but Williams and SGA would keep OKC in the game.
Nembhard dropped the fourth straight three to start the game but the Pacers would cool off going 3/15 for the rest of the half.
The Pacers started red hot from downtown in Game 4. They went 3/3 from downtown but OKC was just as hot from the field in the first quarter.
WE ARE AT THE HALFTIME BREAK FROM INDIANA!!!
Haliburton slice to the bucket, finger rolls it in and gets the foul! FT is god after the foul on Caruso.
Wallace pulls up and he hits the elbow jumper.
Haliburton to the rack and he lays it up and in off the find from Siakam!
Toppin got fouled hard by Dort who got a flagrant and he hits one of two FTs and the Pacers got the ball back. Siakam hit the short jumper in the lane.
Williams weaves into the paint and scoops it up and in with the right hand.
Nesmith missed the midrange jumper from the baseline but Toppin was there for the tip slam!
Siakam down low, and he lays it up and in off the feed from Haliburton.
Timeout Thunder with 3:19 to go in the 2nd quarter.
SGA into the lane again and he lay it up and in over a couple defenders.
Haliburton to the corner for Nesmith and he drills the three ball!!!
Williams to the line after the foul on Nesmtih and he hits both FTs.
Turner sends Wiggins to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
Caruso to the line after a flagrant foul on Toppin and he hits both FTs and OKC gets the ball back.
Williams drives and lays it up and in off the assist from Wallace.
Timeout Pacers with 6:35 to go.
McConnell drives baseline and he blows by SGA for the lay up down low.
K. Williams finds Caruso on the baseline for the reverse lay up.
SGA on the step back and he hits it from the FT line.
Sheppard strings a three from the top of the key off the dish from Nesmith!
Turner sends Holmgren to the line where he hits both FTs.
McConnell into the lane and he lays it up and in off the glass.
SGA into the paint and he turns into an open lay up down low.
SGA pulls up and hits the short jumper in the paint.
Mathurin drills the three ball to start the quarter, and that's his first FG.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER!!!
Siakam leads the Pacers with 10 points, while Jalen Williams has 12 to lead all scorers.
SGA missed the three ball but K. Williams was there for the buzzer beating tip slam!
Joe sends McConnell to the FT line where he hits both FTs.
SGA off the dribble and he pulls up from the elbow
McConnell with a baseline jumper out of the timeout for his first points of the game.
Caruso strips Haliburton and he takes it all the way for the lay up of the turnover.
Timeout IND with 1:02 to go in the 1st quarter.
Caruso euro steps through the lane and he floats it up and in.
Siakam shields off his defender and slams it home.
Siakam to the line after the foul on Dort and he hits both FTs.
Williams follows up his own miss and puts it back up and in.
Siakam to the line after the foul on Caruso and he hits one of two FTs.
Mathurin to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits both FTs.
Dort with a catch and shoot three ball from the wing and he sinks it to tie up the game!
TImeout Pacers with 4:40 to go in the first quarter!
Williams to the line after the foul on Sheppard and he hits both FTs.
Williams with back to back buckets, this one on a scoop with the left hand over Turner.
Williams with the runner from outside the lane and he gets it to fall off the glass.
Toppin with back to back buckets, this time from the FT line, and the Pacers are 9/12 from the field!
Toppin into the lane and he floats it up and in off the feed from Nembhard.
Caruso drives to the rack, lays it up and gets the foul! FT is good after the foul on Haliburton.
Siakam kicks it out to Nembhard and he drills the three ball from the corner!!!
Timeout Thunder with 7:01 to go in the 1st quarter.
Haliburton misses the floater but Turner came screaming in and put it back up and in.
Williams to the line after the foul on Nesmith and he hits both FTs.
Haliburton finds Turner and he sinks the mid range spot up jumper from outside the lane.
Holmgren goes to the ground after twisting an ankle, but he gets back to his feet and he hits both FTs after the foul on Siakam.
Turner to the line after the foul on Hartenstein and he gets both to drop.
Williams to the line after the foul on Nembhard and he hits both FTs.
Haliburton pulls up from long range and drills a three ball a step away from the logo!
Siakam gets the slip pass from Turner down low and he lays it up and in.
SGA gets into the paint and lays it up and in in the paint.
Nesmith with another three ball from the wing and the Pacers are off to a quick start from downtown!
Siakam drills a three ball to put the Pacers on the board!
Holmgren pulls up and drops the deep two. He's been having some great first quarters over the last two games.
Dort drives to the bucket and lays it up and in to get us started.
Thunder starting five
The OKC Thunder are going with SGA, Dort, Williams, Holmgren and Hartenstein in the starting five. Coach Dagenault is going back to his regular five after a few games with Cason Wallace in the starting five.
Pacers starters
The Pacers are going with their faithful five. They have Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmtih, Turner and Siakam starting off Game 4 from Indy. They got off to a slow start last game, but tonight they know they have to start hot and end hot.
SGA is the MVP on and off the court
The NBA's MVP might be on the road, but he is still one of the most popular player in the building. He was hanging out pregame signing autographs and taking selfies on the road.
Injury report: Thunder
The Thunder are down in the series, but there is good news. The good news is they have a full deck tonight against the Pacers on the road and they are going to need everyone to chip in tonight. They have kept healthy all postseason and while they are going to need their stars to step up it’s going to be someone from down the bench that is going to have to make a difference like Aaron Wiggins did in Game 2 and like Alex Caruso has done so often this postseason.
Injury report: Pacers
The Indiana Pacers got a scare when Tyrese Haliburton limped off the podium after the Game 2 loss, but in Game 3 he showed us he is doing just fine despite his “lower leg injury.” The other injury the Pacers have been dealing with is Jarace Wallace’s ankle sprain that he suffered back in Game 6 of the Knicks series. He was originally ruled out for Games 1 and 2, but he sat out last game and he will be out tonight as well. He is apparently off of crutches, but he still needs some time to get back to game shape.
3-1 series lead
How many times have we said it during this postseason? No matter how much we repeat ourselves, the fact remains 3-1 deficits are basically a death sentence to teams that find themselves in that sort of a hole. The updated stats after the Conference Finals look like this: there have been 298 series that have been 3-1, 285 of those (95.6%) have been won by the team up two games. Only 13 times (4.4%) has a team been able to battle back and win a series after finding themselves down 1-3. The last team to do it was the Denver Nuggets who did it twice in back to back series against the Jazz and Clippers in the bubble. It’s only been done once in the NBA Finals, and that was back in 2016 when the Cavs came back on the Warriors as LeBron stunned Curry and Golden State. That’s what the Thunder are going to have to avoid tonight with a win in Indy. They know what’s on the line. Now it’s time to deliver.
Seattle supporting Indy
It’s not just those in the cradle of basketball that are thrilled with the Pacers being up 2-1 in the NBA Finals. The city of Seattle has no interest in seeing the Thunder win an NBA title. The franchise relocated to OKC early this century and since then the former Super Sonics fan base has not been able to let go of seeing their team disappear and move to the Midwest. Our Paul Reidy explains that the wound has still not healed in the Pacific Northwest.
McConnell magic
For a team and a fan base that hadn’t seen in the NBA Finals on their home court in quite some time, they were a bit flat in the first quarter thanks to the quick start from the Thunder. That all changed when TJ McConnell and the second unit came on to the floor to start the second quarter. The back up point guard completely changed the dynamic of the game with his ability to speed up the game in transition, his relentless defense and his never ending energy that fueled the Game 3 win. He ended the night with 10, 5 and 5 but his impact was even more than those numbers could ever tell.
Pacers at home
The Pacers snapped their Game 3 drought on Wednesday night. They hadn’t won any of their previous three Game 3s in this playoff run, but they ended that trend against the Thunder in the most important Game 3 of the postseason. They were back at home where they only lost 11 games all regular season. They are now 7-2 in their 9 homes games, and tonight their 8th win in 10 would mean they take a 3-1 lead, and that is nearly an insurmountable deficit to comeback from. OKC know they have to win this game, but Indy will do any and everything to keep this series from drawing level.
Indy’s bench
Haliburton may have been the driving force behind the win in Game 3, but the Indy bench was the reason the Pacers won on Wednesday night. Benn Mathurin’s 27 points were massive, TJ McConnell came in and injected an incredible amount of energy in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Obi Toppin had a massive tip slam to polish off the Thunder in the 4th quarter and Ben Sheppard came in and gave some great defensive minutes, trying to keep SGA quiet. The Thunder bench doesn’t get outscored to often, but they were outplayed in Game 3. This series could be decided by which team’s bench performs the best over the course of the series. It will certainly be something to keep an eye on tonight.
Star watch: SGA
Indy coach Rick Carlisle said after Game 2 that you could just mark SGA down for 34 points in Game 3 before he even boarded the plane to Indy. That might have been coach Carlisle playing a bit of mind games, because SGA was held to a series low 24 points and 4 assists. One of the biggest things was he only got to the line 6 times. A lot of his points come from his ability to draw fouls but the refs let a lot go Game 3 that we hadn’t seen in Games 1 and 2. He is going to have to adjust tonight if he and the Thunder want to get back on track tonight.
Star watch: Haliburton
If last game showed us anything, it was how much this Pacers team revolves around their orchestrator of the offense. Tyrese Haliburton’s struggles in the first two games were well documented, but he came out and made sure his team was going to retake control of the series. He scored 20 points, stretching Indy’s record to 8-1 when he scores 20+ in the playoffs. It wasn’t just his scoring, he dished the rock, getting double digits assists for the first time in five games against the Thunder and he grabbed 9 rebounds. He also played some fantastic defense. Haliburton knows the blueprint to beating the Thunder, can he produce the same sort of magic tonight?
Game 3 recap
Game 3 started a lot like Game 2. Chet Holmgren was fantastic out of the gate again, scoring 13 points in the first quarter and the Thunder jumped out to a double digit lead in the opening minutes of the game. One thing that was different about the Pacers from the get-go was Tyrese Haliburton getting involved early on. After struggling in the first two games, he made sure to make an impact right from the tip. He flirted with a triple double, dropping 22, 9 and 11 assists and Benedict Mathurin had a playoff career high 27 points of the bench. The game was tight the whole way as both teams exchanged leads, and neither team built up a double digit advantage. The Pacers trailed heading into the fourth quarter, but they locked down on defense, holding the Thunder to 18 points in the final quarter and took a 2-1 advantage.
We are live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Hello everyone and welcome back to Indiana where the Pacers won their first Finals game in 25 years in front of their home fans and tonight they know a win will put them on the cusp of their first NBA title. After getting dominated for most Game 1 and all of Game 2 in OKC, they came out and got the job done in Game 3 thanks their leader stepping to the plate and carrying them to victory. They got massive production off the bench and SGA and the Thunder couldn’t combat that in the fourth quarter. That sets up a pivotal matchup tonight from Indiana as the Pacers can inch within one win of their first NBA Title by the end of the night.
Thunder vs. Pacers Game 4
There was a huge momentum shift in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, when the Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to a brilliant performance from the star of the show and a sensational effort for the bench players. Tonight OKC looks to tie up the series in Game 4, but the Pacers will be hoping to end the night up 3-1 heading back to OKC with a chance to close out the series. It’s a massive match up from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis.