Indiana Pacers snap four-game losing streak behind impressive clutch play against Oklahoma City Thunder

Entering Friday, the Indiana Pacers had one just won game in the last three weeks. They had not won a home game since March 9. The Pacers have their eyes on development down the stretch of this season, but losses were piling up.

On Friday, the blue and gold hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team pushing for a play-in spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder beat the Pacers earlier in the season, so the expectation was that OKC would win. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander available, they have more talent.

But the Pacers didn't care about any of that. They got off to a great start, with Bennedict Mathurin scoring nine early points and the team shooting 61.5% from the field. The Thunder were scoring well themselves, but the Pacers were ahead after the first quarter.

The second quarter was much of the same. Indiana's offense sputtered a bit, but their defense stepped up, and they carried a lead into halftime. Isaiah Jackson had a strong first half for the blue and gold.

"Great basketball game. Very, very competitive," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the duel.

Third quarters have not been kind to the blue and gold of late. In each of their prior two games, the Pacers gave up 40+ points in the third quarter as the game slipped away. They needed to avoid that tonight.

They still stumbled in the frame, but they at least held their ground. Despite trailing by as much as 10 points at one time in the third, the Pacers battled back and trailed by just four entering the fourth quarter. They still allowed OKC to score 33 points coming out of halftime, but they showed marked improvement over their last two games.

The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair, and the score was tied at 100 with about nine minutes remaining. Andrew Nembhard broke the deadlock with some critical shots, but the Thunder answered and took a 111-110 lead with 4:36 to go. This one was going to go down to the wire.

Indiana was up for it. They allowed just two points in the next 3:40 of the game, and they scored just enough to take a grip on the game late. The Thunder cut the deficit down to two at times and had one chance to tie it up late, but the Pacers held on. They beat the Thunder 121-117 for their first home win since March 9.

"We just executed at a high level. Everybody locked in," Pacers center Jalen Smith said of his team's clutch time play. The reserve center made a few important plays down the stretch, including a key block and some needed rebounds.

The blue and gold defended well in the final quarter, and they won the final nine minutes 21-17. That was crucial in their victory, their defense has been shaky of late.

"At the end of the day, it came down to just being able to stand in there, give appropriate help but not overhelp, and make them miss some shots without fouling," Carlisle said of his team's late-game defense.

Smith was excellent for the Pacers with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and seven different guys finished in double figures. Buddy Hield had a vital 13 points in his return from the flu.

But no Pacer was more important in this game than T.J. McConnell. The veteran guard finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists as he neared a triple double. He was unstoppable at times and was both an offensive engine and defensive pest. He played a crucial role in the win.

"Just trying to get downhill, honestly, and see what the defense was giving me," McConnell said of his success. He shot 10/15 from the field and had seven points and three assists in the fourth quarter.

"T.J. was great," Carlisle said. "T.J. was doing a lot of the facilitating on all that stuff. He got to the rim a few times."

Indiana improved to 34-44 on the season with the win. They still technically could reach the play-in tournament this season, though it is exceedingly unlikely. They would need to win almost all of their remaining games.

The Pacers will look to start a win streak in Cleveland on Sunday when they take on the Cavaliers.

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