Friday, June 13th, 2025
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Game 4: Series tied 2-2
With their season hanging precariously in the balance, the Oklahoma City Thunder delivered a performance of pure championship resolve. On the road, facing a hostile Indiana crowd and the daunting prospect of a 3-1 series deficit, the Thunder orchestrated a spectacular fourth-quarter comeback to secure a gritty 111-104 victory over the Pacers in Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
The win, which ties the series at two games apiece, was not a display of aesthetic beauty; it was a testament to grit, defensive determination, and the sheer force of will of their superstar leader. This was the game where the regular season MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, put the team on his back and authored a signature moment, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and completely resetting the narrative of the NBA Finals.
An MVP’s Defining Moment: SGA’s Fourth-Quarter Masterclass
For three and a half quarters, the Indiana Pacers had executed their defensive game plan to near perfection, frustrating and hounding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at every turn. But with the game, and potentially the series, on the line, the MVP delivered a performance that will be etched into NBA Finals lore. In the final 4:38 of the game, SGA was simply unstoppable. He scored 15 of his game-high 35 points in that clutch, game-winning stretch, single-handedly erasing a late deficit and silencing the home crowd.
The takeover began with a crucial three-pointer to cut the Indiana lead to one, followed by a masterful step-back jump shot that gave the Thunder their first lead of the entire second half with just over two minutes remaining. From that moment on, he was in complete control, getting to the free-throw line and calmly knocking down six straight free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. It was a remarkable display of clutch shot-making under the most intense pressure imaginable. “We played with desperation to the end of the game and that’s why we won,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. It was a performance that perfectly encapsulated why he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player—a dominant force who rises to the occasion when his team needs him most.
Winning Ugly: How the Thunder Prevailed Despite Their Flaws
This was a victory born of resilience, not perfection. The Thunder won Game 4 despite putting up a historically poor shooting performance from beyond the arc. They made just three of their 17 three-point attempts for the entire game, becoming the first team to win an NBA Finals game with three or fewer made threes in over a decade. Furthermore, their offensive flow was often stagnant, highlighted by the fact that their primary playmaker, SGA, finished the game with zero assists for the first time all season. So how did they manage to score 111 points and win the game?
They did it by embracing the “ugly” parts of the game. They were relentless in their attack on the basket, earning a staggering 38 trips to the free-throw line and converting on 34 of them. They dominated the glass, particularly on the offensive end, grabbing crucial second-chance opportunities that broke the Pacers’ back in the fourth quarter. And their defense, which had been stretched in previous games, locked in down the stretch, holding the high-powered Pacers offense to just 17 points in the final quarter. It was a masterclass in finding a way to win when your primary weapons aren’t working, a true sign of a championship-caliber team.
A Golden Opportunity Squandered: Indiana’s Painful Collapse
For the Indiana Pacers, this will be the loss that haunts them. They had a golden opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in front of their home crowd, and for most of the game, it looked like they were going to do just that. They led for the majority of the night, building a 10-point lead late in the third quarter. The crowd was electric, and the Thunder appeared to be on the ropes. But when it came time to close the game out, the Pacers’ offense completely stalled.
“We got stagnant,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle lamented in his post-game press conference. “Their second shots were a big problem.” In the crucial final five minutes of the game, Indiana’s potent offense managed just a single field goal. They were unable to find an answer for Gilgeous-Alexander’s late-game heroics and were out-hustled on the glass. This loss will be incredibly difficult to recover from psychologically. They had the heavily favored Thunder on the brink of elimination and let the opportunity slip through their fingers, a mistake that could ultimately cost them the NBA championship.
A New Series: The Finals Are Now a Best-of-Three
With their dramatic Game 4 victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder have completely reset the NBA Finals. The series is now tied 2-2, effectively turning the championship into a best-of-three contest. Crucially, the Thunder have reclaimed the home-court advantage they lost in Game 1. The series now shifts back to Oklahoma City for a pivotal Game 5, where the Thunder will be buoyed by the momentum of their incredible comeback.
The pressure now shifts back to the Indiana Pacers. They must find a way to bounce back from a devastating home loss and win at least one more game on the road against a team that has been nearly unbeatable in its own building all season. The 2025 NBA Finals have already delivered incredible drama, and this latest twist ensures that the battle for the Larry O’Brien Trophy will be a tense, hard-fought affair right down to the very end. The momentum has swung, and the series is now well and truly up for grabs.
