Despite Historic Game 4, OKC Thunder Need More From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Thunder's superstar got Oklahoma City across the finish line on Friday, but the job is far from finished.

Jun 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts during the third quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers in game three of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s superstar stepped up in Game 4, and his performance was something that hasn’t been seen in six decades.

On Friday night, the Thunder saved their season with a 111-104 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to tie the series. With a 2-2 matchup heading back to Oklahoma City, the Thunder regained home-court advantage and need only two more wins to secure their first NBA title.

Of course, to win their first championship, the Thunder will need Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to continue delivering historic performances. After scoring the most points through two games of an NBA Finals debut, Gilgeous-Alexander added to his list of history in Game 4 by scoring 35 points without an assist, becoming only the third player in league history to do so in the Finals.

Fun Fact: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the first player since Jerry West with 35+ points and 0 assists in a Finals game. pic.twitter.com/qNOPUw7gUA

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 14, 2025

The most recent instance came in 1962 when Jerry West scored 35 points with no assists in a Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics. The only other win came when Joe Fulks scored 37 points without an assist for the Philadelphia Warriors in Game 1 of the 1947 BAA Finals, the first Finals game in league history. 

Considering it took 78 years for another player to score at least 35 points with no assists and win in the Finals, it likely won’t be a performance the Thunder can necessarily afford Gilgeous-Alexander to repeat. Of course, his 35-point night has become almost expected in these playoffs, but he and the Thunder must be better at moving the ball in the final stretch of these Finals.

As a team, Oklahoma City finished with only 11 assists on Friday night to go with 16 turnovers. Along with Game 3’s loss in Indiana, the Thunder have had two straight games with more turnovers than assists after having only one such game throughout the rest of the season.

Although it didn’t look great, Gilgeous-Alexander still had a team-high eight potential assists. So, the Thunder’s hope of increasing their assist numbers will still ultimately rely on making the shots they create. 

Gilgeous-Alexander is absolutely capable of some more heroics in this series, but if his teammates can knock down some shots, especially from outside, the Thunder will be in a much better position to allow their MVP to get them through the finish line.

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