CNN
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The Oklahoma City Thunder turned the table for the Indiana Pacers on Friday, winning from behind in the epic fourth quarter and even won the NBA Finals two games.
Thunder’s 111-104 victory will bring Oklahoma City to three best series with home court advantages.
The Pacers made the habit of rushing more and more into the game as grating defense, clutch attacks and enemies got closer and closer during these playoffs. On Friday, the Thunder skillfully played the role, missing a 10-point third-quarter deficit until he took the lead in the game in just minutes.
The series returns to Oklahoma City on Monday with Game 5 set at 8:30pm.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points in the final stretch of the game, pushing his team to victory, and scoring 35 points in a brilliant, continuing his NBA Finals. He said the Thunder came out urgently on Friday.
“We knew that when we woke up this morning,” he told ABC Broadcasting. “(Down) 3-1 is very different from 2-2 going home. We played hopelessly to finish the game, so we won. We tried to maintain the same despair as going into Game 5, Game 6.”
Both teams are now proving that they can win on their opponent’s home floor and win tight games. The series is becoming classic as both teams refuse to back down and are very evenly matched, as proven by the tough first half.
The first half scored higher than the first three games of the series, as the team combined with 117 points. Pacer took a 60-57 lead.
Aside from the short period of the first quarter, the game remained firmly in place throughout the opening stage. The Thunder grabbed the lead midway through the second quarter and the Pacers ran to take the lead just before the end of the second quarter.
Jalen Williams led the Thunder by scoring his first 24 minutes with 16 points as MVP Gilgeous-Alexander took a featureless number of breaks in the first half. The SGA contributed to 12, but had zero assists as Pacer’s defense tried to limit the Thunder’s star.
Indiana’s offense was much more balanced. Pascal Siakam scored 16 points in the first half, but seven of the eight other pacer players who participated in the game scored at least five points.
The Pacers’ 9-2 run in the third quarter opened their biggest seven-point lead since nine people led early in the first quarter. Siakam continued his dominant play with a 25-foot three-pointer that forced the Indianapolis crowd to rise and take a timeout to kill Run before he could get the lightning.
The timeout worked and the Thunder quickly cut the lead to the four as Gilgauss Alexander took 20th place in the pull-up jumper. An offensive foul by the Pacers allowed Oklahoma City to slice further into the lead as the home crowd and Pacer players got frustrated with officials.
But Obi Toppin softened those wounded feelings with a back-to-back three that reconstructed Pacer’s lead to an 8. A solid effort from Toppin’s bench led the Indiana crowd to blow the dunk in two minutes, giving Pacer a 10-point lead. The Thunder squeezed and led to seven heading into the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City accused him of refining the Pacer’s lead in the fourth opening minutes, calling for a timeout for Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle.
However, as the Pacers did many times in these finals, the Thunder refused to leave and continued the charges to tie the game together in about eight minutes. Indiana loved to play in close games throughout these playoffs, but in the finals they were responsible for the fees for the second half of the game rather than dodging it.
The team began trading massive, tough layups and counter-punch rhythms in the stretch as the game entered punches. Tyreese Halliburton woke up in the final quarter, with eight people falling in the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander had several clutch shots of his own, including the jumper who first led OKC in the second half.
“It’s a dog fight every time we step onto the floor. It makes you work on both ends of the floor. And we want our team to work.
The Pacers couldn’t get a shot as the Thunder took the lead and entered the final minute. Gilegeous-Alexander’s Twisting Drive and Leaning Jump Shot brought a foul on Aaron Nesmith with 0.3 seconds left on the shot clock, giving the MVP the opportunity to become a two-popses game with 44 seconds of play. Nesmith was fouled out in the play.
The SGA sank both shots, but was 107-103 in favor of the lightning. The Pacers were unable to get a decent shot on their subsequent possessions, with Miles Turner barely grazing the rim in a three-point attempt. Benedict Matlin was fouled on the subsequent rebound. He missed both free throws And then Oklahoma City’s Chetholm Glen grabbed the rebound.
Thunder had the opportunity to put the game on ice from the standstill. Maturin was asked to foul before playing the ball, and Gilgauss Alexander excavated a free throw 108-103, with the Thunder regaining the ball. However, the defense of the pressing pacer forced the sales of inbound plays, and Maturin drew another foul on the subsequent scramble.
But once again, Mathurin had problems with the free throw line, splitting two shots into a 4-point game in 19 seconds. Mathurin committed yet another foul on the subsequent inbound play, with Gilgeous-Alexander hitting another free throw to make it 109-104, allowing Thunder to get the ball back again.
Gilgeous-Alexander drew the final foul and, as he always does, hit free throws to give the game the final score. The Pacers had one last heave to strip the iron as Thunder celebrated the great victory.