NBA Finals: SGA, Thunder surge past Pacers in Game 4 to even series

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — Game on the line, season quite possibly on the line, the Oklahoma City Thunder had only one place to turn.

They went to the league MVP.

And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered, scoring 15 of his 35 points in the final 4:38, capping Oklahoma City’s rally from a 10-point, second-half deficit and sealing a 111-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night to tie the NBA Finals at two games apiece.

“He definitely showed who he is tonight,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.

It was all SGA for OKC down the stretch. The Thunder closed the game on a 16-7 run; he had all but one of those points.

“We played with desperation to end the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, “and that’s why we won.”

Jalen Williams scored 27 points, Alex Caruso had 20 and Chet Holmgren finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder. They did it the hard way – with a season-low three 3-pointers, and no assists from Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time all season.

Pascal Siakam scored 20 for Indiana, which got 18 from Tyrese Haliburton and 17 from Obi Toppin.

Game 5 of the series – now essentially a best-of-three – is Monday night in Oklahoma City, with the Thunder now having reclaimed home-court advantage.

“This kind of a challenge is going to have extreme highs and extreme lows,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “This is a low right now and we’re going to have to bounce back from it.”

The Thunder basically saved their realistic chance at winning the title. Teams with a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals have gone on to win the championship 37 times in 38 previous chances. The Pacers looked well on their way to being the 39th team with such an edge, before Gilgeous-Alexander saved the day.

“We knew it when we woke up this morning; 3-1 is a lot different than 2-2 going back home,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

The Pacers came out flying, scoring 20 points in the first 4:59 – only the second time all season the Thunder gave up so many so quickly. They led by as many as nine early, but were unable to pull away.

And things got chippy for the first time in the series: Toppin was called for a Flagrant 1 on Caruso midway through the second quarter, then Toppin was the recipient of a Flagrant 1 from Lu Dort just before the half. The Pacers closed on a 15-6 run, taking a 60-57 lead into the break.

Toppin’s baseline dunk late in the third gave Indiana an 86-76 lead, its first double-digit cushion of the series coming late in the 15th quarter of the series. Back came OKC: A 13-3 run tied the score early in the fourth at 89, the first of a handful of those down the stretch.

Tied at 91. Tied at 95. Tied at 97. And, finally, the lead: Gilgeous-Alexander’s step-back jumper with 2:23 left put the Thunder ahead 104-103, their first lead of the second half.

They kept it the rest of the way.

“We wanted to win,” Siakam said. “I thought we played well enough for some stretches … but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

HOW GAME GOT AWAY FROM PACERS

Up by 10, late in the third quarter. Up by seven, going into the fourth. The Pacers had a golden opportunity.

And then, thud.

A chance at a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals slipped right out of Indiana’s hands, when the Thunder outscored the Pacers 31-17 in the fourth quarter.

Just like that, series tied, 2-2.

“It’s frustrating, of course,” Haliburton said. “You want to win that game … but that’s not how the cookie crumbled.”

A look at how the rally – or collapse, depending on perspective – happened:

Pacers 89, Thunder 82, 10:56 left

Obi Toppin – who had just had a big dunk about three minutes earlier to give Indiana its first 10-point lead of the series – had another slam, this one stopping a mini-burst by the Thunder and restoring a seven-point lead for the Pacers.

Indiana went ice cold from there, missing 12 of its final 16 shots from the field.

Pacers bending, not breaking

The Thunder tied the score at 89, then at 91, then at 95, then at 97. And each time, the Pacers had an answer.

Haliburton had a super-high-arching layup for a 91-89 lead with 7:50 left. Andrew Nembhard hit a jumper for a 93-91 lead with 6:59 to play. Haliburton scored again for a 97-95 lead with 5:03 left, and he had a pair of free throws with 4:19 remaining to break yet another tie.

“We had some deflating plays. It was an easy game to give up on,” Daigneault said.

His team – and Gilgeous-Alexander – did the opposite.

SGA takes over

The Indiana lead was up to four with 3:20 left, 103-99, when SGA grabbed the game by its throat.

Gilgeous-Alexander had eight points in the next three minutes; the Pacers didn’t have any. He single-handedly decided the outcome.

“Fouls were an issue,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Look, he’s a great player. That’s the other issue. He’s the MVP … But hey, you’re up seven at home. You have to dig in and find a way, and we were unable to do it tonight.”

Now what?

Indiana knows it has to win at least one more game at Oklahoma City now to become NBA champions. The Pacers won Game 1 there; they know it is possible.

“I’m excited about the challenge,” Haliburton said.