Mussatto: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 'unreal' down stretch to save Thunder, tie up NBA Finals
INDIANAPOLIS — The Thunder found out what the inside of a beehive is like. Yellow walls. Incessant movement. Constant buzzing and whirring. Captivating chaos.
For much of Friday night, it looked like the Thunder — its season on the brink — would succumb to that Pacers swarm.
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But then you'd catch a glimpse of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, expressionless as ever.
'You wouldn't know if it was a preseason game or it's Game 4 of the NBA Finals down 2-1 with him,' teammate Alex Caruso said. 'That's why we have such a good mentality as a group. That's why we are able to find success in adversity.'
Gilgeous-Alexander's stoicism was as essential as his clutch shot-making in OKC's 111-104 had-to-have-it Game 4 win at Indiana.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of the Thunder's final 16 points — a stretch that started with an SGA finger roll at the 4:38 mark of the fourth quarter to tie the game 97-97.
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Chet Holmgren did everything he could to keep from saying a four-letter word that starts with 'S' when told about SGA's late scoring spree.
'I didn't know that, but that's crazy,' Holmgren said of the last 15 out of 16 stat. 'That's impressive. We've seen it before from him. We know that that's the type of player he is. But it's still impressive … I'm sure that's going to be a very small category of players that he's going to put himself in or has put himself in with a finish to the game like that.'
Good call, Chet. Gilgeous-Alexander indeed made history.
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His 15 points in the final five minutes were the most by a player in the last five minutes of a Finals game since 1971. The previous high was 14 points by Scottie Pippen for the Bulls against the Jazz in Game 3 of the 1997 NBA Finals.
'He never blinks,' Caruso said, 'never shies away from the moment.'
'Same demeanor as always,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault added. 'You really wouldn't know whether he's up three, down three, up 30, down 30, eating dinner on a Wednesday. He's pretty much the same guy.
'It's unbelievable. He really didn't have it going a lot of the night. He was laboring. We had a hard time shaking him free. For him to be able to flip the switch like that and get the rhythm he got just speaks to how great of a player he is. Again, it's nothing we don't know. But he definitely showed who he is tonight.'
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SGA almost outscored the Pacers on his own in the fourth quarter, which the Thunder won 31-17. The only quarter the Thunder won in Game 4 was the all-important fourth.
5 TAKEAWAYS: Thunder wills its way to Game 4 win vs Pacers, evens NBA Finals
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JUNE 13: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder attempts a layup against Pascal Siakam #43 of the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter in Game Four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 13, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Up until then, the Thunder looked cooked. A five-point deficit felt like 15. Generating good looks was a gargantuan task for OKC while Indiana came by them instinctively. The Pacers had an easier time making threes than the Thunder had finding them.
Then everything flipped in the fourth.
Caruso, Holmgren and Lu Dort put an end to the Pacers' fun. And SGA dragged OKC's offense out of the slop.
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When all else fails, leave it to the MVP.
'I think I just try to get lost in competing, lost in trying to figure out what I can do to help this basketball team win on any given possession,' SGA said.
With three minutes to go and the Thunder trailing by four, Gilgeous-Alexander popped the biggest bucket of the game. The shot clock running out on a stalled possession, Jalen Williams found SGA for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the right wing.
It was the Thunder's third and final 3-pointer of the game. That's right, OKC shot 3-of-17 from 3-point range in an NBA Finals game in the year 2025 … and won. The Pacers weren't efficient from three (11-of-36, 31%), but still they outscored the Thunder 33-9 from behind the arc.
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More: How dominant was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in fourth? Inside stats of Thunder's Game 4 win
Jun 13, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dunks past Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Gilgeous-Alexander's 3-pointer with three minutes left pulled the Thunder close. His 15-foot baseline jumper, which came 30 seconds later, put OKC on top for good.
'He's unreal,' Daigneault said. 'Obviously really closed that thing offensively. He and (Jalen Williams) did a great job there just execution-wise, the shot-making. He was outstanding.'
Aaron Nesmith was the victimized defender on both of those SGA shots. And it was Nesmith whom SGA baited into a foul with under a minute left. Gilgeous-Alexander swished two free throws to give the Thunder a four-point lead. SGA made all 10 of his free throws and the Thunder was 34-of-38 from the foul line as a team, which helped keep it afloat amid the 3-point drought.
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Gilgeous-Alexander's final line was an odd one: 35 points (12-of-24), three rebounds, three steals, one block, two turnovers … and zero assists. His first assist-less game since the 2020 bubble playoffs. OKC only had 10 assists on 37 made baskets, a theme of this series, as Indiana has found a way to zap the Thunder's drive-and-kick game.
But when OKC needed buckets, Gilgeous-Alexander produced them in bunches.
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't ebullient after the game. More subdued than anything. But don't let that fool you. That's just who SGA is. Who he was Friday night in the biggest moment of his career.
'Underneath that stoic personality or look on the court,' Caruso said, 'is a deep, deep-rooted competitiveness.'
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More: NBA Finals Game 4 box score, stats: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder tie series vs Pacers
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stats don't lie for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 'unreal' NBA Finals win
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