“We played with desperation to end the game, and that’s why we won.” That’s how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander summed up the Thunder’s gritty 111–104 Game 4 win in Indiana — a comeback that tied the Finals at 2–2 and kept their season alive. But as OKC heads back home with momentum, not everything felt like a celebration. A quiet moment caught inside the arena — involving Chet Holmgren — has everyone suddenly feeling a bit uneasy.

The game itself? A classic NBA Finals slugfest, for real. For three quarters, it felt like the Pacers had things locked down, but then SGA went full supernova in the fourth, dropping 15 of his 35 points to just steal the win. Jalen Williams was his wingman, pouring in 27 points and getting to the free-throw line. But quietly, the team’s secret weapon was Chet Holmgren. He was an absolute beast on the boards, snagging 15 rebounds and adding 14 points. It was exactly the kind of tough performance we’ve come to expect from him. But that amazing performance apparently came with a huge price tag.

After the game, as the locker rooms were clearing out, ClutchPoints reporter Tomer Azarly tweeted something that instantly sent shivers down every Thunder fan’s spine. He wrote: “Chet Holmgren left his postgame interview with a fairly significant limp on his way back to the OKC locker room.” Azarly further pointed out that Chet “took a few hard hits and falls but was able to close the game for the Thunder.”

If you were watching closely, you probably remember Chet going down pretty hard early in the first quarter after tripping over Pascal Siakam’s foot, and honestly, it looked like he was fighting through pain for most of the night. Things are seeming dire after this update. 

For any other player, a limp would be concerning. For Holmgren, it’s terrifying. This is the same player who had his entire rookie season stolen from him by a devastating Lisfranc injury. His journey to this moment has been defined by his incredible resilience and a maturity far beyond his years. After the team’s Game 3 loss, it was Holmgren who took the blame, telling the media, “Everybody who stepped out there can be better. And it starts with me. I gotta be better.” He’s definitely a key player, and now, his health is truly the biggest question mark hanging over the NBA Finals.

How Chet’s frustration fueled a game 4 masterpiece

After the Thunder’s Game 3 loss, a game where they were outscored 32-18 in the fourth quarter, you could feel Holmgren’s frustration. He knew his team had a problem with closing games. “To win games of this magnitude, at this level, we have to be better,” Holmgren said after that loss. “We got to figure out how to put ourselves in a better position for the whole 48 minutes.” He was calling out his team’s biggest issue in the Finals: they weren’t playing like champions down the stretch.

Fast forward to the post-game press conference after their incredible Game 4 comeback win. The Thunder didn’t just close the game, they dominated it, finishing on a 12-1 run, with their MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, going supernova and scoring 15 of the team’s final 16 points. It was the exact kind of killer instinct, the exact kind of “closing the deal” that Holmgren had just been talking about his team needing.

And this is where the story gets priceless. Chet is up at the podium, answering questions, and a reporter prefaces a question by laying out that insane stat about SGA’s fourth-quarter takeover. As Chet hears the numbers – 15 of the final 16 points – his brain seems to short-circuit for a second. He just shakes his head, laughs, and lets out a single, perfect word that said everything: “S—.”

That one word, that priceless, candid reaction, was everything. It wasn’t just a funny moment, it was the look of a guy who had just identified his team’s biggest problem, and then watched his superstar teammate solve it in the most spectacular way imaginable. In fact, Chet also provided insights into his defensive approach against Tyrese Haliburton’s switches late in the game. “I just given up two drives right before that, so just trying to kind of learn from those and playing better in those instances,” Holmgren explained. Despite Haliburton’s efforts to isolate him, Holmgren acknowledged the challenge: “I got a good test, he was still able to get it off and, you know, he shoots a high arcing shot, so like the whole time it’s in the air, you just, you know, a lot’s going through your mind. But, you know, I’m just glad we were able to get those stops and, and close up again.”

This candid reaction, from his frustration after Game 3 to his pure amazement after Game 4, reveals the young Thunder team’s mentality. They recognize their shortcomings, hold themselves accountable, and possess a superstar capable of fixing problems when it matters most. Despite worries about Chet’s limp, his championship mindset is evident, posing a significant threat to the Pacers as the series returns to OKC tied.