Hartenstein with a weak evening: OKC just stays alive with comeback win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the guarantor of victory.
(Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Tension is high in the NBA Finals: The Indiana Pacers' match point is out of the question, as the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by German center Isaiah Hartenstein, manage to tie the series after falling behind. Once again, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is unstoppable.
Led by superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder have come back to level the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. After a 111-104 win in Indianapolis, the best-of-seven series is tied 2-2. OKC, led by German center Isaiah Hartenstein, has two match points at home on Tuesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the regular season's MVP, scored 15 of his 35 points in the final five minutes. Hartenstein had a weaker night with two points and six rebounds. Jalen Williams (27) and Alex Caruso (20) broke the 20-point mark, and Chet Holmgren had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Pascal Siakam (20) was the Pacers' top scorer.
OKC claws its way back into the game"We were desperate to close the game out," said Gilgeous-Alexander, "and that's why we won." OKC coach Mark Daigneault gave special praise to his star player: "He definitely showed who he is tonight." Oklahoma City finished the game with a 16-7 run, with only one point coming from Luguentz Dort, not the Canadian Gilgeous-Alexander.
OKC had lost the opening game of the series at their home stadium, the Paycom Center, but with the win in Indiana, the best team in the regular season regained home-court advantage. A loss in the crucial Game 4 would have been a severe setback and nearly a knockout on the road to the hoped-for title.
"When we woke up this morning, we knew that a 3-1 score was completely different than a 2-2 score before we headed back home," said Gilgeous-Alexander. With just over two minutes left in the third quarter, the visitors trailed by ten points (76-86), but OKC held their nerve in the heated final stretch. Gilgeous-Alexander nailed a three-pointer with 2:23 remaining to give the Pacers their first lead since the first half (104-103). The man of the night made all six of his free throws in the final 44 seconds and never let the Pacers back into the game.
Source: ntv.de, dbe/sid
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