Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivers in clutch in Thunder's Game 4 win over Pacers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivers in clutch in Thunder's Game 4 win over Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS — On a step-back 3-pointer and baseline mid-range jumper, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander somehow put the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the Indiana Pacers for the final time. It's only right he used two of his best weapons in a now-or-never situation. Like Batman's Batarang, the MVP winner went to his favorites in the two biggest possessions of his basketball life.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 12-of-24 shooting and three rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 10-of-10 on free throws. He also had three steals and one block.
The Thunder won a thriller in a 111-104 Game 4 win over the Pacers. In a do-or-die scenario, OKC did just enough to accomplish its road trip goal and split the 2025 NBA Finals at 2-2 apiece.
The Pacers may need to go back to the drawing board. Their full-court press gimmick had a short shelf life. Gilgeous-Alexander swatted away every Pacers defender thrown at him. The MVP winner got to his sweet spots in the mid-range. When he didn't, he drove to the basket and went to the free-throw line.
After an awful 12-point first half, Gilgeous-Alexander turned it up in the latter two quarters. He scored 23 points and 15 in the fourth quarter. The Pacers could only shake their head in frustration. The raucous Indiana crowd slowly quieted before they were muted.
An endless amount of digital ink will be spilled over Gilgeous-Alexander's Game 4 performance. Down 2-1 on the road, he joins all-time basketball pantheons like LeBron James and Stephen Curry for this backs-against-the-wall scenario. He showed once again why he could be well on his way to being viewed as those future Hall-of-Famers.
"Winning, especially this time of the season, it comes down to the moments, it's going to come down to late game. Every team is good. There's rarely going to be a blowout. It comes down to the moments and who is willing to make winning plays on both ends of the floor," Gilgeous-Alexander said about the fourth-quarter magnitude. "I relish those moments, love the moments, good or bad. When I was a kid shooting at my driveway, I'd count down the clock for those moments. Now I get to live it. It's a blessing, it's fun, and I relish it."
For now, though, if the Thunder win the championship, this Game 4 performance will likely be remembered as the pivot point. 26 years of hard work and raw talent led to this point. Two more wins and Gilgeous-Alexander will be the consensus greatest player in the OKC franchise history.
"I just tried to be aggressive. Like you said, I knew what it would have looked like if we lost tonight. I didn't want to go out not swinging. I didn't want to go out not doing everything I could do in my power, in my control to try to win the game," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "The guys deserve that as much from me. The coaching staff deserves that much from me. I just tried to be aggressive, but also let the game come to me, not try to force anything too crazy. I guess it paid off."
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