It definitely was not the most ecstatically pleasing performance. But for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it got the job done.
The Thunder overcame subpar shooting from the perimeter and an aggressive Indiana Pacers defense Friday night for a 111-104 victory in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spearheaded a fourth-quarter comeback after struggling for much of the game.
“He definitely showed who he is tonight,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
With the ‘W’, the Thunder tied the series at 2-2 and reclaimed the home-court advantage they surrendered with a Game 1 loss on June 5 in Oklahoma City. The series now shifts to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday.
The Pacers appeared to be on their way to a commanding 3-1 series lead with an 87-80 advantage going into the final frame against a young Thunder group that had struggled to find their rhythm on offense for most of the night. But the Thunder were able to remain in striking distance for their leader and MVP to lead the late charge.
The Pacers limited Gilgeous-Alexander as a playmaker and managed to keep him off the charity strike, where he is deadly, for much of the night. But the NBA’s MVP played like one in the fourth quarter, when his team needed it most.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine straight Thunder points and secured the first Thunder lead of the second half at 104-103 with 2:23 remaining on 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 50%, 12 of 24 from the field and hit all 10 of his free-throw attempts. He scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter.
Embed from Getty ImagesGilgeous-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 11 assists on 37 made baskets.
But he more than made up for his lack of playmaking by taking over the game down the stretch to quiet a once exuberant Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd that believed it was on the edge 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.
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 hanging in the balance, Mathurin showed his youth by committing multiple miscues in the final minute. He missed three crucial 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 keep possession of the ball.
The late mistakes combined with Gilgeous-Alexander’s sterling fourth quarter were enough for Oklahoma City to secure the victory.
In addition to struggling as a playmaker, Gilgeous-Alexander also struggled for much of the night at one of the things he does best, drawing fouls and getting to the line.
Gilgeous-Alexander did not attempt a free throw in the first half. His first free throws did not occur until 6:06 remained in the third quarter. He hit both, but did not 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 the 86% free throw shooter 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 dust settled, only his partner in crime, Jalen Williams (11 of 11) had more free-throw attempts than Gilgeous-Alexander.
Ball movement was not the only thing hurting the Thunder on Friday. They also posted one of their worst 3-point shooting efforts of the season. At 24 minutes of action, Luguentz Dort had the only made Thunder 3 on a 1-of-10 first-half effort as a team.
Things did not get much better after halftime. The Thunder finished 3 of 16 (18.8%) from 3-point range, a rate that allowed the Pacers to maintain control until late. But one of those three made triples was the turning point in the Thunders late rally.
With the clock ticking down under three minutes, Williams considered launching 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 sliced the Pacers lead to 103-102.
The Thunder made up for their struggles from deep with 47.4% shooting from the floor. They won the all-important battle of the boards, with a 43-33 advantage, including a 12-7 edge on the offensive glass that led to second chance points.
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.
The Thunder do not escape with the win without at least one big effort off the bench. On Friday, it was Alex Caruso, who has experience in the Finals, that delivered. Caruso’s stifling 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 resulted 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 82-game regular season.
Williams, meanwhile, paced the starting unit early and finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chet Holmgren was a terror in the post while tallying a double-double, with 14 points, 15 rebounds and a block.
As is usually the case, the Pacers got a strong balanced effort with five players in double figures, including four starters.
Former NBA champion Pascal Siakam led 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.
“We wanted to win,” Siakam said. “I thought we played well enough for some stretches … but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
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 on the road into that hostile environment for Game 5 with the series tied and the Thunder back in possession of home-court advantage.
“This kind of a challenge is going to have extreme highs and extreme lows,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “This is a low right now and we’re going to have to bounce back from it.”
It was a tremendous fourth-quarter swing in the wrong direction Friday night that could ultimately cost the Pacers an NBA championship.
