The 2025 NBA Finals is now a best-of-three.
In Game 4 of the series, the Thunder found themselves down, but not out. In a game that conventional wisdom would have suggested that Oklahoma City would lose, it found a way to defeat the Pacers to tie the series at two games apiece.
Led by 35 points from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder earned a 111-104 Game 4 victory despite trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half and seven points to begin the fourth quarter.
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However, it was much more than Gilgeous-Alexander, as OKC won despite shooting 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from 3-point range and dishing out a season-low 10 assists as a team.
Here’s how the Thunder pulled off a seemingly improbable feat.
MORE THUNDER-PACERS GAME 4:
How Thunder won NBA Finals Game 4
Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren each stepped up in a specific way to help the Thunder overcome statistical flaws that typically spell a team’s demise.
Before getting into each player’s specific contributions, here’s a snapshot of some of the most eye-popping Game 4 stats.
| Stat | Thunder | Pacers |
| Assists | 10 | 21 |
| 3P-3PA (3P%) | 3-17 (17.6%) | 11-36 (30.6%) |
| Rebounds (Offensive) | 43 (12) | 33 (7) |
| Turnovers | 16 (23 PTS) | 16 (25 PTS) |
| FT-FTA (FT%) | 34-38 (89.5%) | 25-33 (75.8%) |
The Thunder won despite being outscored by 24 points from beyond the arc and assisting on only 10 of their 37 made field goals.
On Friday, they became just the third team in NBA Finals history to win despite being outscored by 24-plus points from deep. The most recent example came in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals when the Warriors made nine more 3s than the Cavaliers.
Before Game 4, OKC’s lowest assists total during the 2024-25 regular season was 16, and its lowest in the postseason was 13, done in Game 1 of this series. This marks the Thunder’s first win of the 2025 playoffs with fewer than 20 assists.
Here’s how they did it with just 10.
Alex Caruso’s big game off the bench
Caruso again stepped up in a major way for Oklahoma City, putting his championship mettle on display off the bench. In 30 minutes of action, Caruso scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe.
More than just his scoring, Caruso was again solid on the defensive end, evidenced by his team-high five steals. He was a calming force on both ends of the floor and made plays at crucial junctures when the game could have gotten away from OKC.
Force the turnover AND score 🗣️@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/pf8F09gP9M
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025
This series, Caruso has been something of a sixth starter for the Thunder — he played starter minutes in Game 4 and became the first player in NBA history to have two 20-plus games in the Finals after having none in the regular season.
Chet Holmgren’s double-double and defense
Each game has been a story of highs and lows for Holmgren, but such is often life for a 23-year-old in their second season on the court.
In Game 4, the highs came at the most opportune time for the Thunder, as Holmgren finished with a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double, including four boards on the offensive glass.
What isn’t as obvious in the box score is Holmgren’s impact on the defensive end. In the final two minutes of the game, he made key defensive stops as the Thunder went from trailing by one to protecting a tight lead.
Chet crunch time defense.
0-4 FG in the last 2 mins when targeted #wow https://t.co/swtkNNssnP pic.twitter.com/aScNSkpD10
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) June 14, 2025
Jalen Williams stepping up while SGA struggled
As Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he was an MVP, Williams showed why he was an All-Star and an All-NBA selection this year.
Williams was assertive throughout the game, finishing with 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and perfect 11-of-11 shooting from the line. He also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out three of the team’s 10 assists.
Right to the rim 💨 pic.twitter.com/t4M3R7zpWC
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025
He did his work early on, scoring 12 of his points in the first quarter to set the tone and provide a scoring punch as SGA found his bearings. Williams remained aggressive throughout and kept Indiana’s defense honest, which allowed the Thunder to rally in the manner that they did.
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