Alex Caruso Makes Unique NBA Finals History During Game 4 of Thunder-Pacers

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Alex Caruso Makes Unique NBA Finals History During Game 4 of Thunder-Pacers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The 2025 NBA Finals are in full swing and it has become a closer series than seemingly anyone anticipated. The NBA's best team this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder, found themselves on the brink on Friday night, but were able to scratch and claw their way back to an even playing field.

The NBA Finals are now tied 2-2, after the Thunder mounted a fourth-quarter comeback. Trailing the Indiana Pacers by seven heading into the final quarter, the Thunder put up a 31-point quarter, while also holding the high-flying Pacers to just 17 points.

At the final buzzer, the score read 111-104, and the series is knotted at two games a piece.

While the majority of the headlines will (rightfully) focus on the NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's strong fourth quarter, there was an overshadowed hero during Game 4.

Alex Caruso has been known as a strong defensive player in his career, generally giving his team a boost of energy off the bench. He's a solid rotation player who can be relied on to provide all-around value for 22.3 minutes per night (his regular-season career-average).

Caruso has never been the focal point of an offense, rather an opportunistic scorer of the basketball. Through eight seasons, Caruso has averaged more than 10 points per game in a season just one time (10.1 in 2023-24).

Despite his offensive deficiencies, Caruso has provided the Thunder with two offensive outbursts in this year's NBA Finals, making a unique kind of NBA history in the process.

As per @ESPNNBA on X, by scoring 20 points on Friday night, Caruso became the first player in NBA history to have two, 20-point games in a single NBA Finals after having zero 20-point games during the regular season.

Caruso scored exactly 20 points in Game 2 and Game 4 (the two games the Thunder have won in this series). Caruso's regular-season high for points in a game this year was 19, however, he scored double-digit points just 17 times in 54 games played.

Game 4 was playoff game No. 51 for Caruso. He is now averaging 7.8 points per game in his playoff career.

Caruso and the Thunder will look to keep their winning streak alive when Caruso scores at least 20 points in their next game. Game 5 will tip-off on Monday at 8:30 p.m. EDT on ABC inside Paycom Center.

Related: Adam Silver Compares NBA to NFL Ahead of Thunder-Pacers Finals Matchup