INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Williams swished a troublesome pull-up 3-pointer on the third-quarter buzzer to offer the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder a five-point lead. Not a lot went proper for them after that time.
“We simply had numerous unforced errors,” Williams mentioned after Oklahoma Metropolis’s 116-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Wednesday’s pivotal Sport 3 of the NBA Finals. “They capitalized on them as a result of they are a good crew.”
The Thunder have been outscored 32-18 within the fourth quarter. It was the second time this season Indiana outscored Oklahoma Metropolis by a double-digit margin within the closing body. That’s the distinction within the sequence, because the Pacers rallied from behind within the fourth quarter in each of their wins.
“Within the fourth quarter, I simply thought they actually outplayed us on each ends,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault mentioned. “I believed they have been in character when it comes to their physicality, their strain on protection. Then they have been in character when it comes to their tempo on offense.”
The Pacers improved to 9-1 in clutch video games this season, probably the most clutch wins in a single postseason because the Miami Warmth went 11-3 in such video games in 2020, in accordance with ESPN Analysis.
It is a acquainted predicament for the Thunder, who fought again from a 2-1 deficit towards the Denver Nuggets within the Western Convention semifinals, ultimately profitable in seven video games.
“Now we have a terrific alternative right here,” mentioned Oklahoma Metropolis middle/energy ahead Chet Holmgren, who scored 20 factors however struggled within the fourth quarter, when he was 1-of-5 from the ground and had his shot blocked by Pacers large man Myles Turner thrice. “The good factor is we now have one other recreation developing, Sport 4. We won’t be serious about frustration or something. Irrespective of how good it is going, how dangerous it is going, the main target cannot be in your feelings. It needs to be on what we’re attempting to perform, the duty at hand.”
Oklahoma Metropolis, usually enjoying towards full-court strain after permitting the Pacers to attain, missed 9 of its closing 10 photographs from the ground. That ugly stretch began after a Williams floater pulled the Thunder inside some extent of the Pacers with 5:58 remaining.
The Thunder’s solely bucket down the stretch was a midrange pull-up by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, however that was the MVP’s solely area objective within the fourth quarter. He was held to 3 factors on 1-of-3 capturing with no assists within the closing body.
“They have been aggressive,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned of the Pacers’ protection. “They have been heavy within the crowd. I am undecided what number of factors that they had, but it surely felt like once they scored, we’re going towards a set protection, and it is all the time more durable towards a set protection.”
Gilgeous-Alexander completed with 24 factors on 9-of-20 capturing, his lowest-scoring efficiency since a lopsided Sport 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves within the West finals. He had 4 assists and 6 turnovers, the primary time this postseason that he had a adverse assist-to-turnover ratio.
“It goes again to just a little bit extra power,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “If we’re extra aggressive within the pick-and-roll and setting it up, then we get a greater angle. Issues like that normally comes right down to who throws the primary punch.”
The Thunder’s two losses within the Finals have come right down to the Pacers touchdown a flurry of punches on the finish.
“To win video games of this magnitude, at this stage, we now have to be higher,” Holmgren mentioned. “We have to shut video games, shut quarters, shut possessions. It does not simply come right down to the top of the sport. We received to determine methods to put ourselves in a greater place for the entire 48 minutes.”
