Game 4: Pacers look to move 1 win from title, Thunder seeking to show resiliency once again
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana stole Game 1. Oklahoma City bounced back in Game 2. Indiana showed its resiliency in Game 3.
And now, it's Game 4 on Friday night — where either the Pacers will move one win from a title, or the Thunder will turn this NBA Finals into a best-of-three to decide which team will hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy sometime in the next few days.
Indiana leads the best-of-seven 2-1 going into Game 4, with tipoff set for around 8:40 p.m. EDT.
For whatever reason, the Game 4 winner tends to end up winning the finals: It has worked out that way in 15 of the last 19 seasons, though it certainly wasn't the case last year when Dallas beat Boston by 38 points for its lone victory in that matchup.
Oklahoma City has the two leading scorers in the series: NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32 points per game, and Jalen Williams is averaging 20.7 per game.
Indiana is doing it with balance: The Pacers have seven players averaging double figures, with Pascal Siakam (18.3) and Tyrese Haliburton (17.7) leading the way.
Saturday will be a travel day. The teams will practice in Oklahoma City on Sunday, then play Game 5 there on Monday night.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Inside the finish: How Game 4 got away from the Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Up by 10, late in the third quarter. Up by seven, going into the fourth. The Indiana Pacers had a golden opportunity. And then, thud. A chance at a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals slipped right out of Indiana's hands on Friday night, when the Oklahoma City Thunder — led by a huge finish from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — outscored the Pacers 31-17 in the fourth quarter to pull off a 111-104 win in Game 4. Just like that, series tied, 2-2. 'It's frustrating, of course,' Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'You want to win that game … but that's not how the cookie crumbled.' A look at how the rally — or collapse, depending on perspective — happened: Pacers 89, Thunder 82, 10:56 left Obi Toppin — who had just had a big dunk about three minutes earlier to give Indiana its first 10-point lead of the series — had another slam, this one stopping a mini-burst by the Thunder and restoring a seven-point lead for the Pacers. Indiana went ice cold from there, missing 12 of its final 16 shots from the field. Pacers bending, not breaking The Thunder tied the game at 89, then at 91, then at 95, then at 97. And each time, the Pacers had an answer. Haliburton had a super-high-arching layup for a 91-89 lead with 7:50 left. Andrew Nembhard hit a jumper for a 93-91 lead with 6:59 to play. Haliburton scored again for a 97-95 lead with 5:03 left, and he had a pair of free throws with 4:19 remaining to break yet another tie. 'We had some deflating plays. It was an easy game to give up on,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. His team — and the league's MVP — did the opposite. SGA takes over The Indiana lead was up to four with 3:20 left, 103-99. Enter the MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander had eight points in the next three minutes; the Pacers didn't have any. He single-handedly decided the outcome. 'Fouls were an issue,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'Look, he's a great player. That's the other issue. He's the MVP … But hey, you're up seven at home. You have to dig in and find a way, and we were unable to do it tonight.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Now what? Indiana knows it has to win at least one more game at Oklahoma City now to become NBA champions. The Pacers won Game 1 there; they know it is possible. 'I'm excited about the challenge,' Haliburton said. ___ AP NBA:
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Canada's Gilgeous-Alexander goes wild in 4th, Thunder rally to top Pacers and tie NBA Finals
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 111-104 on Friday night and tie the NBA Finals at two games apiece. Jalen Williams added 27, Alex Caruso had 20 and Chet Holmgren finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder. They did it the hard way — with a season-low three 3-pointers, and no assists from Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time all season. Pascal Siakam scored 20 for Indiana, which got 18 from Tyrese Haliburton and 17 from Obi Toppin. Game 5 of the series — now essentially a best-of-three — is at Oklahoma City on Monday night, with the Thunder now having reclaimed home-court advantage. And the Thunder basically saved their realistic chance at winning the title. Teams with a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals have gone on to win the championship 37 times in 38 past chances. The Pacers looked well on their way to being the 39th team with such an edge, before the Thunder found their game in the nick of time. The MVP led the way, too. Gilgeous-Alexander had nine straight points down the stretch as the Thunder took control. The Pacers came out flying, scoring 20 points in the first 4:59 — only the second time all season the Thunder gave up so many so quickly. They led by as many as nine early, but were unable to pull away. And things got chippy for the first time in the series: Toppin was called for a Flagrant 1 on Caruso midway through the second quarter, then Toppin was the recipient of a Flagrant 1 from Lu Dort just before the half. The Pacers closed on a 15-6 run, taking a 60-57 lead into the break. Toppin's baseline dunk late in the third put Indiana up 86-76, its first double-digit lead of the series coming late in the 15th quarter of the series. Back came OKC: A 13-3 run tied the game early in the fourth at 89, the first of a handful of those down the stretch. Tied at 91. Tied at 95. Tied at 97.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 111-104 in Game 4 to tie the NBA Finals
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 111-104 in Game 4 to tie the NBA Finals.
