Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder dropped the ball tonight. They had just tied the series in Game 2. But instead of building on that momentum, they squandered it, losing 116-107. But the loss wasn’t even the most worrying thing about tonight’s game. Fans noticed something about the 2025 MVP that sent the fanbase on red alert.

See, individually, Shai had a good game tonight with 24 points and 8 boards in 42 minutes played. Safe to say he put in a shift tonight. But fans quickly noticed something about the Canadian baller. He looked EXHAUSTED in the fourth quarter. See, everyone gets tired. Especially after playing over 40 minutes of basketball at the highest level.

But everything from Shai’s demeanor to his body language showed a man who was barely standing. Dr. Evan Jeffries, known better as the GameInjuryDoc, commented on this on X.. “THIS is what putting pressure on SGA all game looks like,” he wrote, “FATIGUE in the 4th,” added the doctor. And fatigue is right. Shai looked like he was ready to lie down. He was bent over, hands on his knees, taking deep breaths during a break in the action.

The culprit? The Indiana Pacers and the way they defended against him. The 2025 MVP may have put up 24 points tonight. But boy, did he have to work for those points. The Pacers ran him ragged, breathing down his neck on every possession. Couple that with the Thunder running most of their offense through SGA, and we get an exhausted MVP.

And if Dr. Jeffries noticed this, you’re right to assume that fans online did too. So, here are some of the best reactions we found to the Pacers making Shai Gilgeous-Alexander look like he ran the Boston marathon twice on the same day.

Fans react to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s exhaustion in the final quarter of Game 3

Some fans quickly gave the Indiana Pacers credit for wearing out the 2025 MVP. “shai looks visibly drained indy’s ball pressure wore him out completely,” wrote an X user. And it’s undeniable. The pressure fellow Canadian Andrew Nembhard put on Shai tonight was incredible. But what was more impressive was how he was able to limit his trips to the free-throw line. And having to work for his points without the benefit of catching a breather and shooting free throws meant Shai was completely gassed out by the fourth quarter.

However, not everyone was willing to give Indy credit. Some thought the Canadian guard’s fatigue was down to his own failings. “Shai out there tired as a mf. Dawg ain’t used to playing close games in the 4th quarter,” wrote one fan. Another agreed, criticizing his play in the fourth quarter. They wrote, “And Shai needs to figure it the f— out. Looks absolutely exhausted mid way thru the 3Q every game. How you get up only 3 shots in the 4Q? Ridiculous man. This team needs to wake the f— up!”

But can you really blame him for his exhaustion tonight? We just talked about Nembhard’s relentless defense on him tonight. And when it wasn’t him, it was another Pacer not giving Shai an inch. Playing 42 minutes in an NBA Finals game on the road like that is bound to wear you out.

One fan seems to agree with this sentiment. “u can’t play shai the full 48 man he was tired,” they wrote. And they’re absolutely right! Shai has played an average of nearly 40 minutes in this series. Mark Daigneault is at risk of making the same mistake JJ Redick did earlier in this year’s Playoffs – not rotating his players efficiently.

Nonetheless, whichever side of the camp you’re on. Whether you think it was Nembhard’s resolute defense or the Thunder head coach’s fault, one thing is evident. The Oklahoma City Thunder cannot afford a repeat of this in Game 4. After all, only one team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. And that team had LeBron James on it.