The Indiana Pacers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-104 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals Friday night, which evened the series at two games apiece as it heads back to Oklahoma.
Thunder star and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points on the night in the fourth quarter, which helped Oklahoma City end the game on a 12-1 run and come away with the critical win. Indiana scored just 17 points as a unit in the fourth quarter as the Thunder defense buckled in down the final stretch. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle provided a simple explanation for his team's difficulties late in Friday's game.
"We just got too stagnant," Carlisle said to reporters after the Game 4 loss Friday night. "The ball was not being advanced quickly enough, we weren't creating problems and we were up against the clock a lot so things got very difficult but you got to give Oklahoma [City] credit. They made it very difficult."
Rick Carlisle says Indiana's offense became stagnant down the stretch, resulting in just one 4th quarter assist 😮 pic.twitter.com/thSdPMgCkL
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 14, 2025
The Pacers are probably kicking themselves for missing an opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals, especially after a game where their opponent shot just 3-for-16 from three-point range.
Now, in an even series, Indiana has to regroup ahead of Game 5 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City Monday, which tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rick Carlisle Had Straightforward Explanation for Pacers' Late Struggles in Game 4.
