The Oklahoma City Thunder had a nine-point lead in the third quarter of Game 3 of the 2012 NBA Finals before they changed the course of the game with three big fouls. The first was one by Kevin Durant, his fourth, that caused him to sit down for nearly six minutes. The other two were committed by Serge Ibaka and Derek Fisher, who inexplicably fouled jump shooters while the Miami Heat were failing to make jump shots.
NBA Finals 2012, Heat Vs. Thunder Game 4: Game TIme, TV Schedule And More
Bad fouls crippled Oklahoma City in Game 3 and allowed the Miami Heat to overcome their jump shooting woes. Everyone has something to improve on heading into Game 4.
Presswire
Those three fouls helped turn what was becoming a dominant OKC performance into a close game, and the Heat closed out the fourth quarter to win 91-85. The series is still very much up for grabs, but Oklahoma City can’t be happy with the way they played during the final 18 minutes of Game 3.
Durant was a stellar 11-19 in his 25-point performance, but foul trouble limited his time on the court and he missed a big shot with just over a minute remaining while the Heat led by three points. The Thunder will be looking for more out of James Harden, who was just 2-10 from the floor. On the other end, Miami will have to improve their jump shooting. They made just three baskets from outside the paint on Sunday, with two of those coming in the final three minutes of the second quarter on Shane Battier three-pointers.
Game Time: 9 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 19
Location: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, Fla.
Series: Miami leads, 2-1
TV: ABC
Online: ESPN 3
For more on the Heat, head over to Peninsula Is Mightier and SB Nation Tampa Bay. For Thunder news and notes, visit Welcome To Loud City or check out SB Nation Kansas City. And for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation’s dedicated NBA hub.
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