INDIANAPOLIS — Trailing 2-1 after losing Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of Wednesday night’s loss. After his fellow All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed why the Thunder lost, Williams reflected on Oklahoma City’s 17 turnovers. For Jalen, it gave the Pacers all the momentum they needed to close out a 116-107 win.
Outscoring the Thunder 32-18 in the final frame, the Pacers kept their opponent at bay down the stretch. After the loss, Williams zeroed in on the costly turnovers.
“It sucked… just bad unforced turnovers. Those usually hurt you, especially in these games where there’s such high stakes and it’s going to be separated by one or two possessions,” Williams said. “Those are very controllable turnovers, and they resulted in points. We had control of the game, and those turnovers got them back into it. They get the crowd back into it. If we can cut those out, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
The Thunder turnovers led to easy “touchdown” finishes for the Pacers, had their faithful fans on their feet whenever Indiana converted a breakaway layup or dunk.
“We had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers that also led to touchdowns or points, for those who don’t get that reference,” Williams added. “That hurt us tonight for sure.”
Jalen Williams on asked about the Thunder’s 17 turnovers:
“It sucked… just bad unforced turnovers. Those usually hurt you… We had control of the game and those turnovers were the ones that got them back into it… If we can cut those out, I think we’ll be in good shape” pic.twitter.com/fi6WxXhg2H
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) June 12, 2025
Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams finished with a team-high 26 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks down Thunder’s struggles vs Pacers
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highlighted his team’s shortcomings in Game 3 of the NBA Finals’ loss to the Pacers. Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Pacers credit for their effort, execution, and fight, especially in the fourth quarter to close out their second win of the series.
After the loss, Gilgeous-Alexander expressed how his team needs to bounce back to avoid a 3-1 hole in the NBA Finals.
“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.”
The Pacers held the Thunder to 35.3% shooting in the fourth quarter. They also vigorously attacked the paint while shooting at a 60.3% clip on 35-of-58 attempts from inside the three-point arc. Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin finished with a team-high 27 points off the bench, single-handedly outscoring the Thunder’s second unit combined, 27-18.
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