MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander endured a rocky start to command a late comeback in the fourth quarter to and will a poised Oklahoma City squad to a 111-104 game 4 victory. Benedict Mathurin brutally missed three free throws in the final moments to seal the winning result for the Thunder.
After an exciting and wild start between the two titans, with Oklahoma City earning numerous free throws and Indiana scoring from outside, only three points separated the finalists at the half and seven after the third quarter. The Thunder’s teamwide ability to successfully be free throw merchants (going 34 for 38) kept the Pacers from getting too far away from them - with the difference in third-point makes (Indiana 11 - OKC 3) nearly winding up too much for the visitors to overcome until that late Oklahoma City push and finish.
Pascal Siakam (20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals) and Myles Turner (12 points and 2 assist) helped the Pacers get their highest scoring first quarter of the finals. Tyrese Haliburton (18 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals) tried in vain to put away the Thunder, while Obi Toppin (17 points and 7 rebounds) had the quarter of his lifetime as his threes.
Gilgeous-Alexander (33 points and 3 steals) and Jalen Williams (27 points and 7 rebounds) and kept Oklahoma City within striking distance in a tense and fraught first half and in the victorious final 12 minutes. Chet Holmgren, battled through multiple injuries to chip in 14 points and 14 rebounds. Alex Caruso (20 points and 5 steals) contributed mightily off the bench.
The teams stormed out of the tip on a furious scoring pace. Turner had much success at the rim and from distance, while Oklahoma City spread its points out among several starters from the free throw line. Andrew Nembhard’s corner three put Indiana up eight. Caruso gritted an and-1 over several Pacers. Indiana briefly channeled the Beautiful Game Spurs (ball movement, not letting the ball stick) to go up 24-15. Dort’s catch-and-shoot three capped off a 9-0 OKC run to square the game. Behind Siakam’s 10 point / 4 steal quarter, Indiana left it up 35-34.
The teams resumed their scoring excellence to start the second period. Holmgren’s free throws tied the game at 40. Gilgeous-Alexander took the scoring mantle from Jalen Williams to help get the Thunder into the lead. Indiana’s bench players carried the offensive weight for a good amount of the middle minutes. The Thunder continued their relentless attack to the hoop in order to get free throws - this quarter drawing Indiana into the foul bonus six minutes in. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams continued to apply pressure on the stalled out Pacers. Haliburton, sensing the moment, put up a quick five points to get Indiana to 60-57 at the break.
Siakam ratcheded up his investment on both ends to start the third quarter. After Gilgeous-Alexander’s steal and lay-up, Andrew Nembhard hit a corner three to make the 3-point count 9-1 in favor of Indiana. After the steal, Gilgeous-Alexander steadied himself at the offensive end to keep it a two-possession game. Toppin made the best of his opportunities to grow the Pacer lead at a critical juncture. Oklahoma City looked mortal over many minutes of the frame and Indiana grew the lead to ten before exiting the period in control 87-80.
**Observations**
* #2 Dylan Harper and #14 Maxime Raynaud.
* My ideal NBA on NBC broadcast team next season: Mike Tirico, Tim Legler, and Jamal Crawford.
* I walked by a man wearing a Paul George Pacer jersey today. It’s been a fast 11 years.
* It’s weird to think that Caruso may be in contention for an Andre Iquodala-type (2015 Finals) MVP this series.
* Two people in the front row were dressed as the the [‘Dumb and Dumber’ guys](https://ramblingeveron.com/2019/12/16/december-16-1994-dumb-and-dumber-and-a-perfect-night-at-the-movies/).
* I never realized that the Gainbridge Fieldhouse horn sounds like the old Family Feud buzzer.
* **Sequence of the Game #1**: He pretty much had a wonderful first quarter of production, but Siakam took a nice feed and drove to the rim for a two-handed jam late in the opening stanza.
* **Sequence of the Game #2**: In the final minute of the opening half, Haliburton drove the right baseline, and put some english on the ball to spin it off the glass for a reverse lay-up. On the next possession, he drove it through two Thunder players to get an and-1.
* **Carushow Sequence of the Game**: The Thunder guard knocked the ball away from Haliburton in the final minute of the first, and was the recipient of a feathery outlet pass for a lay-up.
**Game Rundown**
Dort opened with a driving layup and Holmgren followed with a three for OKC. Indiana answered with successive threes to crank the crowd noise to deafening. Haliburton’s first make was from about 34 feet to put the Pacers up five. The teams combined for 21 total points in three minutes. Holmgren, while fouled, appeared to turn his right ankle, but hit both freebies, while Turner’s jumper and putback made it 17-12. OKC drew a slew of fouls on Indiana to gain the bonus seven minutes in. Two Toppin buckets put the Pacers up nine. Jalen Williams’ lay-up and free throws brought the Thunder within three quickly. Siakam impressively forced steals on two Thunder possessions. His fourth steal and free throws put the Pacers up three. The first period had to end sadly with the Pacers up one.
Pacer reserves accounted for the first eight Indiana points in the second - Ben Sheppard, TJ McConnell, and Benedict Mathurin. Gilgeous-Alexander smoothly settled into a scoring groove to get into double digits. A Caruso lay-up put the Thunder into the lead partway through the frame. The Pacers lost their way offensively over several minutes, and the Thunder went ahead by six. Nesmith hit a corner three and drew an offensive foul to kickstart an Indiana run. Lu Dort was whistled for a flagrant foul on Toppin, and the Pacers got three points from the extended possession to tie it at 55. Haliburton’s handful of points allowed the Pacers to get to the half up three.
The combatants continued trading mighty blows in the third period: Jalen Williams was gifted an blocking foul on a conversion and got the and-1 / Siakam nabbed a steal and got free throws / Turner swished a stepback jumper / Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a baseline fadeaway / Siakam’s straightaway three put Indiana up seven. Gilgeous-Alexander looked slightly rattled as the Pacers forced a shotclock violation, but then quickly stabilized himself for some needed scores. Toppin’s wing threes put the Pacers up back up eight. Toppin later blocked a desperate heave from Jalen Williams to force a shotclock violation, his baseline slam - off a Siakam feed - put Indiana up ten, and the team forced an eight-second violation right after. Oklahoma City went to the fourth quarter down seven and assured of a chance to still sneak out the triumph.