Indiana Raring To Pick Up Pace

Pacers miss chance to lead Thunder 3-1, but vow to bounce back on the road in Game 5

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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."