Game 4: Pacers look to move 1 win from title, Thunder seeking to show resiliency once again
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
42 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rory McIlroy throws club and smashes tee marker amid US Open struggles
An angry Rory McIlroy threw his club down the fairway and smashed a tee marker as frustrations boiled over on day two at the US Open. Despite a furious battle with the brutal Oakmont course in Pittsburgh, McIlroy managed to make the cut after making a birdie on the last hole of his second round. After a four-over-par 74 on Thursday, McIlroy had hopes of fighting back into contention in the second round, but he again struggled to tame the course, posting two double bogeys in the opening three holes. Such was his frustration, he launched his club in anger at the 12th hole after sending another shot into the unforgiving rough before smashing a tee marker on the 17th when finding the bunker. He produced some magic on the 18th with a stunning approach shot to five feet and converted for a birdie to reach six-under-par which keeps him around for the weekend. Whether he will be pleased about that or not is another story entirely and he will not be challenging for the title come Sunday night. McIlroy said before the tournament that he needed to shake off the hangover of his epic Masters win at Augusta National in April, but he could not have chosen a harder place to do that. The course has been chewing up and spitting out the best players in the world and McIlroy is one of them. His late birdie did not quell the frustration enough for him to speak to the media as he skipped post-round duties for the sixth successive round at a major. American Ryder Cup player Sam Burns tops the leaderboard, making a mockery of everyone else's struggles with a head-scratching five-under-par 65. 'I didn't really think of much of a score before. The golf course is really too difficult to try to figure out what's a good score and what's not,' Burns said. 'You're really just shot by shot and trying to play each hole the best you can. 'There's obviously a lot of golf left on a very tough golf course. It's a 72-hole golf tournament, and if you can get a round under par out here, no matter if it's one under, you'll take it.' Burns sits one shot clear of first-round leader JJ Spaun, who carded a two-over 72 to sit on two-under-par. Spaun said: 'I knew it would be hard to back up a bogey-free four-under at Oakmont in the US Open. So I'm just glad that I kept it together. I'm two over today, but given where we are that's a pretty good score.' It is no wonder the players have been calling the terrifying Pennsylvania course Transylvania as Viktor Hovland, at one-under-par, is the only other player under par at the halfway mark of the tournament. World number one Scottie Scheffler reckons he is still in the mix, despite sitting seven shots off the lead. Scheffler, who was seen angrily remonstrating with his coach after his round, carded a 71 to sit four-over-par but is not ruling himself out. 'It felt like me getting away with one over today wasn't all that bad. It could have been a lot worse,' he said. 'I'm definitely not out of the tournament. Today I think with the way I was hitting it, it was easily a day I could have been going home, but I battled pretty hard to stay in there.' There have been plenty of high-profile casualties, none more so than defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who will go home after finishing on a bruising 10-over-par. Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood and Gary Woodland also get the weekend off. It could also be a farewell to the US Open for Phil Mickelson, who could not find a birdie at the final hole to make the cut. Mickelson admits he is unlikely to play this tournament again unless he can win next month's Open at Portrush or hope for a USGA exemption.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Club World Cup: Five talking points ahead of Fifa's billion-dollar tournament
The 2025 Club World Cup will begin on 14 June, as some of the world's top teams compete in Fifa 's newest club competition. Champions League winners PSG join Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in vying for the trophy, while Boca Juniors, River Plate, Fluminense and Copa Libertadores holders Botafogo headline the South American contingent. Fifa is hoping that the new 32-team group stage and knockout format will help to give the tournament added prestige, with the addition of a $1bn prize fund adding a financial incentive. Despite concerns over the added workload thrust upon players, the new tournament promises plenty of intrigue as it gets underway in Miami. And ahead of the first match on Saturday, The Independent has taken a look at five of the main storylines ahead of the first edition. Perhaps the biggest issue surrounding the tournament is that of the workload that players are expected to bear. Several notable players had to battle injuries last season, with Rodri suffering a season-ending injury when he picked up an ACL issue in September 2024. And as some players pass 60 games played since August 2024, any long-term injuries suffered both at the tournament and in the weeks after will come under increased scrutiny amid concerns that players are simply playing too many games with too little rest. With a recent study recommending a mandatory four-week rest period for players, the long-term future of the tournament could be in doubt before the first edition has even kicked off – though the prize money on offer could prove enough to make this tournament a regular fixture in the footballing calendar. Though injuries will worry clubs, managers and fans, they will also get a look at new signings in one of the most intriguing sub-plots of the tournament. The special mini-transfer window that closed on 10 June saw plenty of movement from clubs participating in the tournament, with Real Madrid notably paying Liverpool €10m to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold before the expiry of his contract. The England international is one of two major defensive signings for Los Blancos, along with Dean Huijsen, and there will be plenty of eyes on the duo as they attempt to adapt to life at the world's biggest club. Manchester City were perhaps the most active club in that mini-window, with French prospect Rayan Cherki joining as a potential Kevin De Bruyne replacement, while his namesake Ait-Nouri has signed from Wolves in defence. In midfield, it is hoped that Tijjani Reijnders can complement Rodri as Pep Guardiola looks to return to the summit of European football. And there has been movement at Chelsea too, though there will be an almost exclusive focus on Liam Delap as he makes his debut for the Blues. Enzo Maresca will be hoping that the England U21 international is the remedy to their striker woes, though he will face competition from Nicolas Jackson. While new signings will get plenty of attention, it is a club with no new additions that will be among the most-watched in the States. New European champions Paris-Saint-Germain will be one of the stories of the tournament if they can continue their recent form, with the French treble-winners among the favourites to lift the trophy in July. The 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final was a turning point in the club's history, but now Luis Enrique must make sure that the club compete for the biggest honours year after year, and the Spaniard clearly sees this tournament as one of them. They will certainly be difficult to beat if they can replicate some of the scintillating performances from the 2024/25 season, with plenty of eyes on key men including Vitinha, Desire Doue and Ballon d'Or favourite Ousmane Dembele. And if the Frenchman can lead his side to another honour in the USA, he may well be able to wrap up the most prestigious award in football in the process. Surprisingly, while PSG have impressed the most in the lead-up to the competition, they are not the favourites to win it. That tag goes to Real Madrid, with the club supposedly desperate to win a competition that has been championed by club president Florentino Perez. And football's biggest soap opera will enter its next chapter in the USA as Xabi Alonso takes charge of the club for the first time, with the Spaniard bringing plenty of hope to the Bernabeu after an impressive stint as Bayer Leverkusen manager. There are several questions for the 43-year-old to answer right away, from how his new signings settle in and the plausibility of his favoured formation to how to get the best out of Kylian Mbappe and Vini Jr. But there is excitement bubbling away too, with the knowledge that if he can get it all to click, then Madrid could have a team capable of dominating European football in a similar way to the side of 2016-2019. And Alonso is expected to land on his feet in the Los Blancos dugout, with Madrid the favourites to lift the trophy despite PSG's recent Champions League win. Despite recent negative headlines on these shores, South American teams have generally looked at the Club World Cup as an event that is both worthwhile and prestigious, and there is plenty of expectation on them as the tournament takes place midway through their club seasons. Copa Libertadores holders Botafogo are joined by recent winners Fluminense, Palmeiras and Flamengo, while Boca Juniors and River Plate will hope to go far too, not least because of the prize money on offer. However, Boca and Botafogo have particularly tough tasks, with the former pitted against Bayern and Benfica and the latter in Group B alongside PSG and Atletico Madrid. Fans won't have to wait long to see how South American giants fare against European royalty, though there could be plenty of surprises in a competition that has historically been viewed in markedly different ways on each continent.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Jake Paul taking Amanda Serrano from underpaid legend to highest female fighter sparked his passion for women's boxing
JAKE PAUL says his passion for promoting women's boxing stemmed from Amanda Serrano's remarkable rise to riches. Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions stable have become the premier platform for female fighters with a string of high-profile signings. 5 5 Alycia Baumgardner, Savannah Marshall, Chantelle Cameron and Ellie Scotney have all been added to their increasing stable of late. But it all started with Serrano in 2021, who came on board as Puerto Rico's legendary seven-weight world champion. At the time, Serrano was only earning £3,000 for her world title fights - now she is the highest-paid female boxer of all time. Paul, with his promotional hat on, said: "It just came from the organic relationship that was formed with Amanda Serrano. "Seeing how entertaining of a fighter she was and how talented - one of the best boxers of all time period male or female - and how underpaid she was and underserved and wasn't getting the shine that she deserved." Serrano, 38, has had two bouts with Irish icon Katie Taylor, 36, losing both thrillers via razor-tight decisions. And for her rematch - after making over £1million in the original - the New Yorker is believed to have banked over £5m. The boxing pioneers now collide for a trilogy on July 11 back at New York's Madison Square Garden as part of a historic all-women's card on Netflix. 5 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Paul's new top talent - including Brit trio Marshall, Cameron and Scotney - all fight in a showcase of MVP's commitment to women's boxing He said: "I think It turned into this bigger movement and now you just see that all across sports, women shining the Caitlin Clarks, etc. Jake Paul ranks cruiserweight world champions and reveals he is in talks with two for shock title fight "And now it's happening in boxing and women are getting their equal and fair shot and MVP proved that we can make mega fights happen with women. "And, they're arguably more entertaining than a lot of the recent men's fights that we've seen." Serrano lost her rematch to Taylor on Paul's undercard in November - when he beat 58-year-old Mike Tyson in their controversial Netflix clash. Now Paul, 28, returns against ex-middleweight champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, on June 28 live on DAZN PPV. He said: "Chavez and I have been going back and forth for a long time and he's always been a great opponent on the list of someone that I wanted to fight. "And now it made perfect sense to go up against him as a former world champion and just continuing to further my resume and get more time under the lights." 5
