The energy permeated through Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with the Pacers faithful still riding the momentum of Indiana’s Game 3 victory. As usual, all nine Pacers who saw the court echoed that intensity. But with OKC’s backs against the wall, the Most Valuable Player stepped up, lifting his team over the Pacers, 111-103, with late-game heroics.
I didn’t think Game 4 could match the intensity of Game 3, but you know what? It did. Indiana—or better yet, Andrew Nembhard—was stuck to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander like a high school sweetheart. Luckily, Jalen Williams noticed SGA’s lack of alone time and took control of the offense for OKC, scoring 12 points in the first 12 minutes and committing to aggression, which got him to the line six times early.
There was a stark difference between the first and second quarters for both teams. After scoring 30-plus points in the first 12 minutes, the pace stayed the same, but the shots stopped falling as fluidly. There were bumps, bruises, flagrant fouls and technicals—the second quarter had it all. In the meantime, the Thunder weren’t gaining much ground, still trailing Indiana by three at halftime.
In the second, OKC shot 8-of-21 from the field, with their only saving grace being trips to the free-throw line, where they went 7-of-8. Indy also struggled to score for most of the quarter, before getting shots to fall just before the half.
Here comes the second half, though—OKC’s designated time to shine and bring energy. And they didn’t. The urgency and aggressiveness dwindled in the third quarter. The Pacers dove for every loose ball while OKC lackadaisically bent over and reached for the same 50-50 balls. The Thunder were slow on rotations, giving Indiana ample time to hoist up threes, where they went 4-of-9.
I teetered between believing the Thunder were playing with that same nonchalant swagger they’ve had all season—appearing disinterested but still lethal—and them simply being outmatched or gassed by Indiana’s overwhelming pace.
Either way, the third quarter was abysmal for OKC—possibly the worst of the season.
Finally, it seemed as if the Thunder were tired of Indiana beating them at their own game. They upped the intensity, dove for loose balls, played smothering defense and were patient on offense—wearing down Indy’s defense and generating quality looks.
It was a quarter where Gilgeous-Alexander doubled down on why he was named MVP, a stark contrast from Game 3. Nembhard seemed to suck the energy out of Shai’s game on Wednesday night, but on Friday? Shai matched his energy—conserving his until the final 4.5 minutes, when he scored 15 of OKC’s final 16 points.
Williams was OKC’s high point man and saving grace, especially in the first quarter, scoring 12 of his 27 points. He added six rebounds and three assists, and went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line.
SGA was bottled up for most of Game 4, grinding out all 35 of his points on 12-of-24 shooting, along with four rebounds and three steals. While Nembhard and Indiana’s supporting cast did a good job of keeping him off the line—limiting him to just three trips until the final minutes—Shai made them count when it mattered most.
Lastly, Alex Caruso and Lu Dort were big-time energy guys for OKC, but for different reasons. Caruso served as a third scorer, tallying 20 points on nine shots and playing his signature brand of persistent basketball. He did the little things—hitting timely shots to keep Indiana’s lead manageable and set the stage for OKC’s comeback.
Dort, however, was masterful on defense in the fourth quarter, helping the Thunder return to their identity—stifling defense that forced Indiana into ugly, contested shots.
Chet Holmgren also played an equal role, with elite defense through the final minutes of the game, holding those he defended to 0-of-4 shooting in the last two minutes of the g ame when targeted.
Although Indiana was plus-24 from 3-point range, they shot entirely too many. Their 11-of-34 mark from distance took them out of rhythm and allowed OKC to stay within striking distance—despite making only three 3s themselves. The Thunder became the first team to win an NBA Finals game with three or fewer made 3s since the Celtics in 2010. They were 3-of-17.
The Thunder can exhale a bit. Their season is still alive and well—with two of the next three games in Oklahoma City.
