Indiana Pacers vow to ‘circle the wagons’ after loss to OKC Thunder

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton shoots the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during Game 4. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED Jun 15, 2025, 11:02 AM

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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said his team will need to “circle the wagons” to resurrect their NBA Finals campaign after stumbling to a 111-104 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 13.

The Pacers looked poised to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after surging 10 points clear late in the third quarter in front of a raucous home crowd in Indianapolis.

But a sensational fourth quarter from the Thunder – who outscored the Pacers 31-17 in the final frame – left the series tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5 in Oklahoma City on June 16.

“This is where we’re going to have to dig in and circle the wagons and come back stronger on Monday,” Carlisle said after the loss. “This is a big disappointment, but there’s three games left.

“We’ve got to bounce back. I don’t need to motivate these guys. But this kind of a challenge is going to have extreme highs and extreme lows.

“This is a low right now, and we’re going to have to bounce back from it.”

The coach bemoaned the fact that the Pacers had been unable to build a bigger lead in the third quarter during a period of dominance that left the Thunder pinned against the ropes.

This would be something that the team would need to improve on in the next game.

“We had some terrific opportunities that we did cash in on in the third quarter, and some late third quarter that we did not that would have made it tougher on them going into the fourth quarter,” added Carlisle, whose team led 87-80 heading into the final period.

“You’re up seven at home, you have to dig in and find a way, but we were unable to do it.”

Pacers forward Pascal Siakam backed Indiana to shake off the disappointment over the final three games.

“We’ve won some games on the road before,” he said. “We’ve just got to go out there with our confidence.

“It’s going to take a lot and it’s going to be hard, but I think we have the group capable of doing that.”

Pacers talisman Tyrese Haliburton also said Indiana would be ready.

“We’ve got to be ready to go Game 5, going into a hostile environment,” he said.

“We have to be ready to play. For us to win, we’re going to have to win one down there. We’ve got to watch film and see where we can get better. I’m excited about the challenge.”

In other NBA news, the New York Knicks plan to interview two head coaches who were fired during the 2024-25 season as they continue to seek a replacement for dismissed coach Tom Thibodeau, ESPN reported.

Set to chat with the Knicks are former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins, who coached the Memphis Grizzlies, per the report.

The Knicks have been turned aside in their efforts to talk with current NBA head coaches, with their teams not granting permission. The list includes Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks), Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves), Ime Udoka (Houston Rockets) and Quin Snyder (Atlanta Hawks).

The Knicks fired Thibodeau last week after the team lost to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brown, 55, was fired 31 games into his third season in Sacramento, where he posted a 107-88 overall record. He previously was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-10, 2013-14) and Los Angeles Lakers (2011-12) and has a career record of 454-304 in the regular season.

The Grizzlies fired Jenkins, 40, in March with nine games left in the regular season and a 44-29 record. At the time he was ousted, the Grizzlies were tied for fourth place in the standings in the Western Conference. They ended the season 3-6 and fell to the play-in round, capturing the No. 8 seed.

They were swept by the top-seeded Thunder in the play-in round. AFP, REUTERS

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