Oklahoma City has been here before. Behind in a playoff series. On the road. Questions mounting. Urgency rising.
In the Western Conference semifinals, it was the Denver Nuggets that had the Thunder down 2-1. Seven games later, it was Oklahoma City that moved on.
Now, on the biggest stage of all — the NBA Finals — the Thunder once again find themselves needing to dig deep.
Oklahoma City will look to even the series against the Indiana Pacers in a must-win Game 4 on Saturday, June 14 (PH time).
Game time is at 8:30 a.m.
The Pacers win their first Finals home game in 25 years to take a 2-1 series lead 🏁
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The #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV continue Friday at 8:30pm/et on ABC!
Trailing 2-1, the Thunder are staring down a potential 3-1 deficit before the series shifts back to Oklahoma City for Game 5.
They absorbed a 116-107 loss in Game 3, getting outscored 32-18 in the fourth quarter and surrendering a staggering 40 points in the second.
[ALSO READ: Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers' bench shine in Game 3 vs Thunder for 2-1 NBA Finals lead]
Jalen Williams led OKC with 26 points, while reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 24. Chet Holmgren chipped in a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.
But it wasn’t enough to overcome Indiana’s bench-led surge. Turnovers proved costly — the Thunder committed a playoff-high 19 — and they shot just 76.7% from the free throw line.
Still, Oklahoma City is leaning on its postseason history for inspiration.
In the series against Denver, the Thunder won Games 4 and 5, dropped Game 6 on the road, and then closed out the Nuggets with a 32-point blowout in Game 7.
[ALSO READ: Thunder oust Nuggets with dominant Game 7 performance]
“We’ve got to learn from it and then tap back into being who we are in Game 4,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of his team’s Game 3 performance.
He added: “If we do that, I think we’ll have a much better chance to win.”
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]
