The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals with Game 5 set for Monday, June 16.
The Pacers led Game 4 late but struggled mightily in the closing 3 minutes as OKC won 111-104. League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) powered the Thunder‘s Game 4 comeback, scoring 11 points in the final 3 minutes as part of a 12-1 closing surge.
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8:09 left 2Q, Thunder 40, Pacers 32: OKC is 6-of-10 on 3-pointers, with 5 more shot attempts overall because of the 9 Indiana turnovers.
End 1Q, Thunder 32, Pacers 22: Tyrese Haliburton is 0-of-2 from the field with 2 assists and 1 turnover. SGA has 7 points and 3 assists. Indiana has 7 turnovers and OKC 1.
3:50 left 1Q, Thunder 23, Pacers 16: Indiana has 6 turnovers to OKC’s 1. The Thunder have a 9-7 rebounding edge. OKC runs its lead to 22-12 before Myles Turner’s basket with 6:27 to go.
Rick Carlisle is incensed that Lu Dort is not called for a foul on an Andrew Nembhard drive, and he picks up a technical foul.
7:45 left 1Q, Thunder 17, Pacers 12: Pascal Siakam has 5 points early. Indiana has 3 turnovers. Chet Holmgren makes an over-his-head layup with Myles Turner defending.
Pacers: Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton
Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein
Dustin Dopirak, IndyStar: Thunder 119-113
“The back-and-forth nature of this series suggests that home-court advantage doesn’t mean much, but the Thunder lost just eight times at the Paycom Center this season, including twice in the playoffs. They haven’t lost more than once at home in a calendar month since November. Winning there Monday would be a big lift for the Pacers, especially after the way Game 4 ended with their 17-point fourth quarter. They’ve generally responded well in tied series over the past two seasons, and they might have the conditioning edge, so this game is still very much a toss-up. But I think they will need to win Game 6 at home to force a Game 7.”
Game 5, Mon., June 16:Â Pacers at Thunder, 8:30 p.m.
Pacers: Jarace Walker (ankle) and Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) are out.
Thunder: None.
TV:Â ABC, with Mike Breen (play-by-play), Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson (analysis), and Lisa Salters (sideline reporting)
93.5 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, with Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analysis) and Pat Boylan (sideline reporting). Game 1 streaming is on SiriusXM channels 81 and 86 (Thunder feed).
(*-if necessary; all games are ET and on ABC)
Game 1:Â Pacers 111, Thunder 110Game 2:Â Thunder 123, Pacers 107Game 3:Â Pacers 116, Thunder 107Game 4:Â Thunder 111, Pacers 104Game 5, Mon., June 16:Â Â at Thunder, 8:30 p.m.Game 6, Thurs., June 19:Â at Pacers, 8:30 p.m.*-Game 7, Sun., June 22:Â at Thunder, 8 p.m.
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Game 5 favorite: Thunder by 9.5 points
Over/under: 224.5 total points
Moneyline: Pacers +340, Thunder -450
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Thunder a 60.9% chance of winning.
(Series averages)
Pascal Siakam (18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists)Tyrese Haliburton (17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 33.3% 3-pointers)Myles Turner (13.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots, 20% 3-pointers)Andrew Nembhard (10.8 points, 3.5 assists, 37.5% 3-pointers)Aaron Nesmith (9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 45.5% 3-pointers)Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.8 points, 3.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 35.3% 3-pointers)Jalen Williams (22.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists)Chet Holmgren (13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds)Lu Dort (9.0 points, 1.5 steals, 61.1% 3-pointers)Isaiah Hartenstein (4.5 points, 6.5 rebounds)