Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle offered an impassioned and somewhat unprompted defense of referee Scott Foster, evidently aware of mountains of online criticism.

Heading back to Paycom Center for Game 5, the Oklahoma City Thunder must outperform an Indiana Pacers team who thrives in road environments.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Sunday decried the swell of public criticism of the officiating that flowed following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 4 win in the 2025 NBA Finals, describing the carping on perceived mistaken calls and non-calls — specifically those involving longtime NBA referee Scott Foster — as,

Jay-Z bet $1,000,000 against Indiana Pacers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As sports betting sweeps the nation, celebrities and streamers have gotten in on the action, often wagering hundreds of thousands of dollars as an entertainment stunt.

McConnell’s third inbounds steal followed an Andrew Nembhard jumper that brought Indiana within two early in the fourth. McConnell jumped in front of Caruso, who was inbounding the ball, and came up with the steal; his layup tied the game at 95 with 8:33 left.

The former Texas Longhorns star gave the Oklahoma City Thunder bigs a difficult time on Wednesday even while under the weather.