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Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credits ‘desperation’ for Game 4 win over Pacers
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- Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credits ‘desperation’ for Game 4 win over Pacers
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The post Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credits 'desperation' for Game 4 win over Pacers appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Oklahoma City Thunder were on the ropes during Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night before an epic fourth quarter comeback got them right back in the fight. The Thunder outscored the Indiana Pacers 31-17 in the final frame to steal a 111-104 victory in front of the raucous Pacers crowd to even the series at two games each.
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Both teams played with plenty of urgency, knowing the importance of this game. The Pacers were trying to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and move within one win of their first NBA Championship. On the other side, the Thunder were trying to reclaim home-court advantage and get the series back under their control.
In the end, Oklahoma City 's desperation won out , and that is why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thinks they were able to get the win.
"3-1 is a lot different than 2-2 going back home," Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. "We played with desperation to end the game and that's why we won. We've got try to maintain the same desperation going into Game 5, Game 6, whatever it may be."
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Gilgeous-Alexander had a bit of an odd game by his lofty standards, but the final stats look as good as ever: 35 points on 12-for-24 shooting to go with three steals. He looked a bit worn out at times during this one, but the league MVP was still able to come up big in the clutch moments to help his team get over the finish line.
After Tyrese Haliburton made a tough layup to put Indiana up by four points with just over three minutes to go, Gilgeous-Alexander splashed home a 3-pointer to cut the lead to just one. On the next possession, he got to his spot on the left baseline and drilled a stepback jumper to put Oklahoma City in front.
From that point on, Gilgeous-Alexander scored six of the Thunder's final seven points to help close out the win and send the series back to Oklahoma City tied at two games apiece.
Even though the Indiana defense has clearly bothered Gilgeous-Alexander at times during this series, he has still found a way to produce on the offensive end. On Friday night, a lot of those points came when the Thunder absolutely needed them most, which is the sign of a superstar.
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Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will look to move within one win of a championship in Game 5 at home on Monday night.
Related: Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops 'swinging' declaration after Game 4 explosion vs. Pacers
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