Oklahoma City Unable To Keep Pace With Miami

The Oklahoma City Thunder jumped out to a big lead early in the game, but was unable to keep pace with the Miami Heat, falling 104-98 to fall behind in the series 3-1 with one more game to play in Miami.

Oklahoma City was all over the Heat to start the game, jumping out to a 15-5 lead in the opening five minutes of the game, propelled by eight points from point guard Russell Westbrook. The Thunder continued to pour on the lead and extended its advantage to 27-12 thanks to 10 unanswered points, capped by a jumper from Nick Collison.

Back-to-back layups from Kevin Durant and James Harden stretched the lead to 17 with just 21 seconds to play in the first quarter, but a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Norris Cole cut the deficit to 33-19.

Cole knocked down another three ball to start the second quarter, sparking a run of 13 unanswered from the Heat, cutting the lead to just one point less than four minutes into the quarter. A quick 6-2 run from the Thunder stopped the bleeding, and the Thunder would hold a slim 49-46 lead heading into halftime.

Miami scored a quick four points to open up the second half, taking a one-point lead just two minutes in, and the teams traded baskets for the next two-and-a-half minutes. However, the Heat came away with seven unanswered, including five from Mario Chalmers, to take a 66-60 lead.

That lead held until the closing moments of the quarter, when Westbrook hit an 18-foot jumper and Durant converted on a single free throw, cutting the deficit to four points heading into the final 12 minutes.

But Westbrook would not go down without a fight, putting the team and the offense on his back in the fourth quarter. After James converted on a free throw to push the Miami lead to 80-77, the Thunder point guard went on a tear, scoring 13 consecutive for OKC, while the Heat scored 10, tying the game with five minutes to play.

James hit a seven-footer to take a two-point lead, but Durant scored four unanswered to give Oklahoma City a 94-92 advantage. However, that would be the last lead the Thunder would hold.

Miami's "Big Three" scored two points each to take a 99-94 lead. Oklahoma City managed just two more field goals, while Chalmers scored five straight for the Heat to close the game out.

Wesbrook finished with a game-high 43 points on a 20-of-32 shooting performance, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out five assists and turning the ball over just three times. Durant finished with a quiet 28 points, hitting just nine shots from the floor, while Harden scored just eight points in his 37 minutes.

James led the charge for Miami, turning in a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Wade and Chalmers contributed 25 each, with Wade grabbing five rebounds.

Oklahoma City now sits just one game away from elimination in the NBA Finals, heading into a must-win Game 5 at 8 p.m. Thursday.