Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton guts through what appeared to be a lower right leg injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Despite how evenly matched the NBA Finals have been through four games, oddsmakers still expect the Thunder to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy without too much difficulty.The Thunder -- who entered the series as massive favorites -- won Game 4 in Indianapolis on Friday night to avoid a 3-1 series deficit.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle comes to the defense of one of the more well-known officials in the league, Scott Foster.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle offered an impassioned and somewhat unprompted defense of referee Scott Foster on Sunday, evidently aware of the mountains of online criticism that came after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

INDIANAPOLIS — T.J. McConnell didn’t even need to dribble. When the Indiana Pacers guard came up with a loose ball in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals, he quickly fired it ahead to a streaking Obi Toppin. Indiana’s high-flying forward was all by himself as he received the pass and soared in for a right-handed tomahawk dunk.

The result was only the second clutch game the Pacers lost this postseason, a 111-104 Thunder win that ties the series up at 2-2. What has been a highly entertaining, well-played Finals will see Game 5 Monday night in Oklahoma City. It also feels like a series that is going to go seven games.

Up by 10, late in the third quarter. Up by seven, going into the fourth. The Indiana Pacers had a golden opportunity. And then, thud.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came up clutch, finishing with 35 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 111-104 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night, evening the series 2-2.