INDIANAPOLIS — In a game where the Indiana Pacers held their opponent to 18 fourth-quarter points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed his team's offensive struggles. Gilgeous-Alexander pointed to the Pacers' aggressive approach, which ultimately led to a 116-107 loss and gave Indiana a 2-1 series lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander says the Pacers did all of the right things to close out the win, including their approach to both ends of the floor. If the Thunder want to have a chance to even the series in Game 4, they're going to have to fight as the team that wants it more than Indiana.

“I’m not too sure. It felt like they won all the 50/50 plays. They executed on both ends of the ball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When you give those two things up, no matter what quarter, you're probably going to lose the quarter, especially on the road in a hostile environment. We gotta take care of those things if we wanna leave Game 4 with a dub.”

Indiana held the Thunder to 6-of-17 shooting (35.3%) in the final frame while outscoring Oklahoma City 32-18. The Thunder also coughed up 17 turnovers, five of them belonging to the Pacers' reserve T.J. McConnell, who also added 10 points off the bench. Bennedict Mathurin's 27 points led the Pacers off the bench in Game 3. Tyrese Haliburton flirted with a triple-double (22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds), and Pascal Siakam added 21 points, six rebounds, and a pair of steals.

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 9-of-20 attempts, eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, but also committed six turnovers. Jalen Williams' 26 points led the Thunder, and Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds).

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Mark Daigneault reveals how the Thunder failed in Game 3

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault signals to his team during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers in game three of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
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Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault admitted how the Pacers won Game 3. Daigneault commended the Pacers' approach to both ends of the floor, especially in the final frame of Wednesday's nine-point loss.

“They really outplayed us in the fourth. Give them credit. We got control of the game coming out of the third. In the fourth, they outplayed us on both ends,” Daigneault said. “We got off to a really good start, and then got off to a really good start in the third. We really controlled the first and third quarters, and had a really hard time in the second and fourth.”

The Thunder will look to even the NBA Finals 2-2 in Game 4 on Friday.