OKC Thunder Keeping Pace in NBA Finals
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Tyrese Haliburton says he and the Pacers are excited to rebound from heartbreaking NBA Finals Game 4 loss to Thunder on Monday
Up by 10, late in the third quarter. Up by seven, going into the fourth. The Indiana 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 on Friday night,
The result was only the second clutch game the Pacers lost this postseason, a 111-104 Thunder win that ties the series up at 2-2. What has been a highly entertaining, well-played Finals will see Game 5 Monday night in Oklahoma City. It also feels like a series that is going to go seven games.
After a rare failure in the clutch during these playoffs, Indiana has to tighten up in a few areas with the series tied 2-2.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, but Charles Barkley felt he could have done more for Indiana.
However, what won the 68 games and got them to the Finals was their defense, and the Pacers torched that for a long stretch of Game 3. Indiana took better shots and capitalized on them, finishing with a 116 offensive rating (9.5 points higher than the Thunder allowed on average during the playoffs coming into the game).