Indiana Pacers had a painful defeat against Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth game of the NBA final

Aaron Wiggins attacks El Aro against La La Brand of Obi Toppin y Pascal Siakam.

Foto: EFE – BRIAN SPURLOCK

In a match that seemed to lean definitively to the side of Indiana Pacers, the script changed in the last quarter.

Oklahoma City Thunder, in his most irregular performance of the entire series, found in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Your salvation. The MVP of the season emerged when it was most needed and, with 15 points in the last five minutes, led a comeback that silenced Indianapolis and tied 2-2 the final series of the NBA. The final marker: 111-104 For visitors.

Indiana, involved from the beginning

The start was explosive to the locals. Indiana entered, with four triples in five minutes and an aggressive attack that punished the presence of Isaiah Hartenstein as headline in the OKC quintet.

The defense of the Thunder found no response to the dynamism of the Pacers, who rotated the ball with rhythm and punished each pairing. Meanwhile, Shai completed a first half unusually turned off: It did not go to the line of free throws or oncesomething unusual in its MVP season.

In the middle of the second quarter, another time came that seemed to hit OKC's mood: Chet Holmgren He suffered a twist in the left ankle after an awkward fall. Although he could continue, his mobility was limited for a few minutes.

The game became more physical. The clashes between Toppin, Hartenstein y Lu there They uploaded the tension and noise in the pavilion. Indiana took advantage of that chaos and, with Siakam and Haliburton driving the threadshe took an increasingly stable advantage.

The Pacers had the game, but okc revived

The third quarter showed the best of the Pacers throughout the series. In the absence of a minute to close it, they won 86-76. The attack flowed, the bank produced and the atmosphere was partying.

However, as if something inside the Thunder was activated with danger, they reacted. A fast streak, driven by Six consecutive points of Holmgren and the defensive intensity of Alex Caruso (which ended with Five robberies), changed the rhythm.

The last room was tight. Indiana tried to resist. TO 3:30 in the endthe Pacers were still up 101-97feeding the illusion of getting 3-1 in the series and giving an almost lethal blow. However, then the storm arrived: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took control of the gameas only the great figures know how to do it. A triple, a suspension shot while falling, and Six free throws without failure in the last minute They turned the game. Indiana could not stop the collapse.

Hard defeat for Indiana's moral

The defeat was painful, not only because of the lost opportunity, but for the form. Rick Carlisle's team did many things well: he dominated for three quarters, reduced the most consistent team of the season and achieved a very distributed offensive production. Pascal Sakak led with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Haliburton contributed 18 points and seven assistsand from the bank, OBi Toppin He shone with 17 points and seven rebounds. However, details failed at the closure. Bennedict Mathurinfor example, it failed several key free throws in recent seconds.

Oklahoma won the game from other fronts: rebounds, painting, defense and temper. They captured 43 rebounds against 33including 12 offensivewith Holmgren adding 15. They were more effective in field shots (47.4 % vs. 42.5 %) and from the line (89.5 % vs. 75.8 %), A difference of nine points that ended up being decisive. Besides, although they only brought three triples throughout the gamethey achieved 50 points in paintingdestroying Indiana inside.

The most striking data: OKC barely distributed 11 assistsbut forced 15 losses of his rival and knew how to execute in the key moments. In contrast, Indiana had 21 assists and 11 triplesbut he ran out of ideas when the game burned.

Shai finished with 35 pointswithout assists – something curious for a player of his profile – but with surgical clarity in decisive times. Jalen Williams contributed 27 points and seven reboundswhile Carusokey from the bank, went with 20 points and five robberies. The rest, including Holmgren with his double-double, fulfilled the expected role.

The series is level again. If the third game showed Indiana as a team with character, the fourth game reaffirmed that Oklahoma has a leader capable of changing any story. What seemed like a clear advantage was diluted in five minutes of brilliance. And now, with 2-2, the margin of error disappears. The finals become a race to three games. And everything can happen.

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