SGA, Thunder Lose to Pacers in NBA Finals Game 3 as Fans Criticize Quiet 4th Quarter

The fourth quarter was once again not kind to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.

While OKC didn't give up a double-digit lead like it did in Game 1, the Thunder played arguably their worst quarter of the Finals on Wednesday night, getting outscored 32-18 in a 116-107 loss, giving the Indiana Pacers a 2-1 lead in the series in the process.

The Thunder had bad turnovers, gave up soft rebounds and had a number of rough offensive possessions in the final frame, and NBA fans took notice:

The Thunder are going to point to a number of areas they'll need to clean up ahead of Friday's Game 4. Their 17 turnovers, for starters, was the most they've had during this postseason run.

They also lost the battle of the benches by a huge margin. The Pacers got 49 points from their reserves, led by Bennedict Mathurin's 27 points and the ever-pesky T.J. McConnell (10 points, five assists, five steals).

OKC got 18 points from its bench, meanwhile.

The Thunder's starters did their part, led by Jalen Williams' 26 points and six boards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 24 points and eight rebounds and Chet Holmgren's 20 points and 10 boards. That trio had 12 of the team's 18 points in the fourth quarter.

But OKC didn't help its cause by hitting only 23 of its 30 free-throw attempts. The Pacers blocked 11 of their shots. And Indiana's pace and depth seemed to wear out the Thunder by the fourth quarter, a bit of a surprise given OKC's own youth, athleticism and depth.

Perhaps the frenzied Indiana crowd played a part, impacting the Thunder's composure down the stretch. Maybe the Pacers just had all of the answers this time around in what has been a competitive, back-and-forth series.

But the Thunder are going to lament taking a five-point lead into the fourth quarter and letting the game slip away from there. It's the second time in this series the Pacers dramatically outplayed them in the final frame. If OKC can't solve its fourth-quarter woes, its title hopes will slip away.