The Thunder let a late lead slip away as Pacers bench takes control
Oklahoma City watched their advantage vanish in the final quarter Wednesday night, turning what looked like a promising Game 3 into a frustrating 116-107 loss to the Pacers.
Jalen Williams had given the Thunder a 5-point cushion with a sweet pull-up three at the third-quarter buzzer. But that was the last time OKC would feel comfortable.
Indiana’s bench unit completely took over from there, helping the Pacers outscore the Thunder by a brutal 32-18 margin in the fourth quarter.
“We just had a lot of unforced errors,” Williams admitted after the game. “They capitalized on them because they’re a good team.”
The loss puts Indiana up 2-1 in the NBA Finals series.
This wasn’t the first time the Pacers have dominated OKC late in a game this season. They’ve now twice outscored the Thunder by double digits in fourth quarters.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault didn’t mince words about what happened. “In the fourth quarter, I just thought they really outplayed us on both ends,” he said.
He gave credit to Indiana’s defensive intensity down the stretch. “I thought they were in character in terms of their physicality, their pressure on defense. Then they were in character in terms of their pace on offense.”
The Pacers have been clutch all postseason. They’re now an incredible 9-1 in close games during these playoffs – the most victories in tight situations since the Heat went 11-3 back in 2020.
OKC has been here before, though.
The Thunder previously faced a 2-1 deficit against Denver in the Western Conference semifinals before fighting back to win that series.
Chet Holmgren, who put up 20 points but struggled with a 1-for-5 shooting performance in the fourth quarter, remains confident. Pacers center Myles Turner blocked his shots three times, but Holmgren isn’t dwelling on it.
“We have a great opportunity here,” Holmgren said. “The great thing is we have another game coming up, Game 4. We can’t be thinking about frustration or anything. No matter how good it’s going, how bad it’s going, the focus can’t be on your emotions. It has to be on what we’re trying to accomplish, the task at hand.”
The Thunder will look to even the series when Game 4 tips off Friday night.
