Jalen Williams Opened Up OKC Thunder Offense Game 4 of NBA Finals

As the Indiana Pacers poured in triples to go on runs in response to any attempt at an Oklahoma City Thunder comeback, the energy inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse only grew. A starved fanbase that loves basketball more than family members was closing in on a commanding 3-1 series lead in the 2025 NBA Finals as the Pacers attempted to capture their first NBA title in team history.

With each passing bucket, the crowd sent a title wave of sound onto the court, ears reverberating and a seven-point Indiana lead in the fourth quarter felt as if the Thunder were down 20 with its season on the line.

Oklahoma City kept punching and staying in the fight, eventually taking a lead with 2:23 to go in the contest and never looking back. For the first time in this series, the Thunder won the final frame (31-17) and Gilgeous-Alexander absolutely dominated in the clutch to propel the Bricktown Ballers to a 111-104 win.

"I just thought we showed great will in the game. I thought we really hung in there in the third. I thought that was the key to the game. They really had the wind to their back. We had some deflating plays. It was an easy game to give up on. We kept it in striking distance, 8, 10, then able to close it in the fourth," Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault said postgame.

However, the OKC Thunder are never in a position to win this pivotal Game 4, snatching a win from the jaws of defeat to even up the series 2-2 heading back to Oklahoma City to make this a best-of-three series with the Thunder owning home court, without third-year swingman Jalen Williams.

The entire night, the Santa Clara product felt in control of the Thunder's offense. He played the game in hyperdrive, displaying great force getting to the rim, utilizing his frame to free him up as a scorer and refusing to back down to the moment to help Oklahoma City hang around in this game as Indiana could only muster a ten-point cushion all night.

In the fourth quarter, superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will get all of the shine. Rightfully so, the League's MVP had 15 points in the last 12 minutes and was a +16 in guiding Oklahoma City to this historic win. However, none of that is possible without Williams.

The OKC Thunder allowed the 23-year-old to initiate offensive actions and brought Gilgeous-Alexander to the ball as a screener, forcing the Pacers to switch the screen, putting Andrew Nembhard on Williams and Aaron Nesmith on Gilgeous-Alexander.

That switch is not possible without the third-year swingman proving to be a capable scoring threat throughout this game with his constant pressure placed on Indiana's defense. Had Williams been a non-factor in that points column, the Pacers would fight through that action harder, even if it means conceding the ball handler and relying on help in rotation.

"Getting us to good spots, getting us into offense against pressure. They just played that two-man game for the majority of the stretch. Jalen [Williams] did a great job of getting us organized there, getting the ball too him. He obviously delivered big-time," Daigneault said.

The Santa Clara product finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, three (of 11 team-wide) assists, and four turnovers on 44% shooting from the floor and an 11-for-11 night at the charity stripe.

Williams got to the line 11 times by burying his head and getting to the rim, utilizing his strength and shoulders to bump defenders off their spots, take on contact and force the issue. For the majority of this third season, the question around the All-Star has been around his lack of calls on drives. In these last two series, he has been much more aggressive and demanded that the air be put in the whistle by the zebras.

"I mean, our young guys want to be great, man. Like, they really, really do. They want to be great...I don't think [Jalen Williams] played his best game last game. I don't think he would say that either. I kind of just expected him to come out and answer the call. He did it early. Started getting downhill, made a couple shots. Even more than that, being good on the defensive end, coming up with rebounds late that we needed. There's a reason he's an All-NBA player, an All-Star at just I think he's 23, if that's correct. I mean, he's a phenomenal talent," Defensive ace Alex Caruso said after Game 4. "to be able to do it without a lot of experience and without being in that moment before, like this is their first NBA Finals, down 2-1 on the road, down 10 at one point in the game, just answering, throwing punches, throwing punches. That can't get overlooked. That's an impressive feat."

Williams not only responded to a lackluster Game 3, but in the course of this game adjusted to his mistakes. Early on, much like the rest of the team, the All-NBA swingman was loose with the ball stacking up three first-half before having just one in the second-half, which was mixed into the third frame to play a clean fourth period.

"Yeah, I mean, it forces you to play at a higher pace, a higher performance. I think my biggest thing is just stepping into the moment, success or fail, just kind of living with the results. I put a lot of work into my game, so I just go out there and play. I just don't want to ever play a game and look back where I wasn't aggressive, afraid to do a move, whatever the case may be. That's how I look at it," Williams said.

The All-Defensive member was awesome on that end, as well as Williams' fingerprints are all over this Game 4 win for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Without him, the Thunder would be down 3-1. Now, Oklahoma City has won two NBA Finals games in the same season for the first time ever, sitting 2-2, heading home to try to move into the driver's seat of this series.

Williams has continued to buck NBA historical trends since entering the league. All season, the All-Star has fielded questions as to if he could be a No. 2 scoring option on a title team in just his third season. Would he be ready for this stage?

As Grandpa Stiles would often say, "You're never ready, until you are." Williams looked the part on Friday and in this Thunder playoff run. A trend that has to continue for Oklahoma City to capture the last two wins needed to earn its first championship in club history.