The Thunder prevail in Game 4 in Indianapolis to tie the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes over in the final quarter to secure home-court advantage for his team.
The Oklahoma City Thunder tied the NBA Finals with a 111-104 win over the Indiana Pacers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the final quarter and gave his team its first second-half lead with a step-back three-pointer with two and a half minutes remaining. OKC thus took advantage of the opportunity to avoid a looming 1-3 deficit – a situation from which only one team has ever come back in NBA Finals history.
In addition to the MVP, Jalen Williams (27), Alex Caruso (20) and Chet Holmgren (14 points, 15 rebounds) also scored in double figures. The Thunder made only three three-pointers – a season low – but countered Indiana’s 10-point lead with several runs in the final quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander in particular took charge in crunch time, scoring nine points in a row to put OKC on the road to victory. Isaiah Hartenstein was in the starting five this time around and, although he had a quiet game with two points, six rebounds and three assists, he provided an important physical presence under the baskets and took some valuable pressure off SGA with his screens.
Things got heated for the first time in this series: Toppin was called for a flagrant foul 1 on Caruso, and shortly afterwards Lu Dort retaliated with a hard foul on Toppin – also ruled a flagrant 1. Both incidents occurred shortly before halftime.
Thunder steal Game 4 – Home advantage back with OKC
The Pacers started strong on offense, taking an early nine-point lead and going into the break with a 60-57 advantage. A total of five players on Rick Carlisle’s team scored in double figures, including Pascal Siakam with 20 points (8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals) and Tyrese Haliburton with 18 (7 assists). Indiana took its biggest lead of the series (86-76), but the Thunder came back led by SGA.
The series is now tied at 2-2 and returns to Oklahoma City, where Game 5 is scheduled for Monday (Tuesday, 2:30 a.m. in Germany). With the away win, OKC has regained home-court advantage and kept the door wide open for the title.
