"Obi Toppin is the LeBron James of Kyle Kuzmas": NBA fans react as Tyrese Haliburton's $58M teammate turns heads with explosive Game 4

Obi Toppin emerged as one of the unlikely heroes for the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the OKC Thunder. Toppin, who signed a $58,000,000 extension with Indiana last year, is paying dividends on the faith placed in him by the Pacers' brass.

As the Eastern Conference champs chased a 3-1 lead at home on Friday, Toppin stepped up with 15 points and seven rebounds in the first three quarters.

Amid his explosive effort, Toppin turned heads at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse as the Pacers took a seven-point lead entering the fourth. Toppin also trended online, garnering plenty of praise from everyone tuned into the exciting back-and-forth between the finalists.

After Toppin scored eight points in four minutes to close the third, fans exploded with reactions to hail the Pacers' big on X. Here are some of the best ones:

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Obi Toppin finished with 17 points and seven rebounds on 7 of 12 shots with just one attempt in the fourth quarter.

OKC Thunder steal the win in clutch to tie series against Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers blew a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 NBA Finals series lead on Thursday. The Pacers had a four-point lead with 3:34 left, but the game turned around when Aaron Nesmith committed an avoidable foul on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning MVP made his free throws to cut the lead to two. Tyrese Haliburton restored a four-point lead, but a Gilgeous-Alexander 3 made it a one-point game again.

From that point on, it was a relatively easy task for the Thunder to complete the comeback. With the Pacers missing a bunch of makeable shots in the final minute, the Thunder kept the pressure on behind Gilgeous-Alexander's efficient stretch to secure a 111-104 win. SGA scored 15 points in the final 4:38 minutes of the contest to seal the win for the Thunder and tie the series 2-2 before heading back home for Game 5.

About the author

Arhaan Raje is an Assistant Content Manager and Senior Writer with Sportskeeda's NBA/WNBA team with four years of experience.

Arhaan focuses on features, trends, listicles, and the latest rumors and reports circling the league's top teams and players. He emphasizes detailed research to create impactful content for readers. A fan of Xs and Os, Arhaan provides technical deep dives in his reporting.

Arhaan completed his bachelor's degree in BBA in Media and Entertainment Management from Mumbai, India.

Arhaan admires the killer mentality of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He respects LeBron James for being a role model on and off the court. The bold and decisive Gregg Popovich stands out as Arhaan's favorite basketball coach. LeBron's epic chase-down block in the 2016 NBA Finals has a special place in Arhaan's basketball memories.

He has interviewed former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton and Ronnie 2K, the face of NBA2k and Marketing Director.

Sports isn't the only passion he has pursued professionally. Arhaan is also into performing arts in the music industry as a percussionist.

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Edited by Arhaan Raje