The Oklahoma City Thunder tied up the NBA Finals series against the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 Friday night, putting the Thunder in a good place before Game 5 brings the Finals back to OKC Monday.
Though Game 4 saw the Thunder and the Pacers trading leads throughout much of the game, the Thunder surged ahead in the 4th quarter Friday. Below is a look at how OKC returned home with a victory, by the numbers.
SGA Takes Over
35 – Points from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, including 15 in the fourth quarter
11 – SGA went 11-for-11 at the line, with 8 free throws in the final four minutes
2:23 – Time left when SGA’s baseline step-back jumper gave OKC the lead for good at 104-103.
Two-Way Warriors
27 – Points for Jalen Williams, who also grabbed 7 boards
15 & 14 – Chet Holmgren’s double-double, along with several crucial switch-heavy defensive stops down the stretch.
20 – Points for Alex Caruso on only 9 shots, with 5 steals and a +14 in 30 minutes.
2 – 20-point games of the Finals for Caruso, after going all season without one.
33 – Minutes for Lu Dort, who scored just 6 points but anchored a defensive fourth-quarter turnaround.
Pacers Collapse
31-17 – Thunder’s fourth-quarter margin, flipping a 7-point deficit into a 7-point win.
1 – Field goal by Indiana in the final 4 minutes of the game.
0.81 – Pacers’ points per possession in the fourth (17 on 21 possessions) — a dramatic drop from 1.43 in Games 1-3.
0 – Fourth-quarter points or assists from Pascal Siakam.
3-for-17 – Thunder’s 3-point shooting on the night (17.6%).
0-82 — NBA teams’ all-time record before tonight when they: Recorded 10 or fewer assists, Committed 15 or more turnovers, Shot under 20% on at least 10 three-point attempts.
Execution and Effort
4 – Late defensive switches by Holmgren on Haliburton/Nembhard that iced the game.
12-1 – Thunder’s game-sealing run fueled by the Williams-SGA combo and swarming defense.
10 – OKC assists in the game, fewer than their 13 turnovers — and still enough to win.
4 – Offensive rebounds by the Thunder in the fourth alone — as many as Indiana had total in the quarter.
Where It Stands
2 – Times this postseason OKC has trailed 2-1 and avoided a 3-1 hole (vs. Denver, vs. Indiana).
2-2 – The Finals now shift back to Paycom Center, where the Thunder are 8-1 this postseason and ready for Game 5: Monday, 7:30 on ABC.
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