Thunder point to 'unforced errors' in Game 3 loss to Pacers - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Williams swished a tough pull-up 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a five-point lead. Not much went right for them after that point.

«We just had a lot of unforced errors,» Williams said after Oklahoma City's 116-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Wednesday's pivotal Game 3 of the NBA Finals. «They capitalized on them because they're a good team.»

The Thunder were outscored 32-18 in the fourth quarter. It was the second time this season Indiana outscored Oklahoma City by a double-digit margin in the final frame. That is the difference in the series, as the Pacers rallied from behind in the fourth quarter in both of their wins.

«In the fourth quarter, I just thought they really outplayed us on both ends,» Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. «I thought they were in character in terms of their physicality, their pressure on defense. Then they were in character in terms of their pace on offense.»

The Pacers improved to 9-1 in clutch games this season, the most clutch wins in a single postseason since the Miami Heat went 11-3 in such games in 2020, according to ESPN Research.

This is a familiar predicament for the Thunder, who fought back from a 2-1 deficit against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, eventually winning in seven games.

«We have a great opportunity here,» said Oklahoma City center/power forward Chet Holmgren, who scored 20 points but struggled in the fourth quarter, when he was 1-of-5 from the floor and had his shot blocked by Pacers big man Myles Turner three times. «The great thing is we have another game coming up, Game 4. We can't be thinking about frustration or anything. No matter how good it's going, how bad it's going, the