The Oklahoma City Thunder looked to steal Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers on the road on Wednesday night to take control of the series.
Early on, it seemed as though the Thunder were going to do just that after they jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter.
Indiana then stormed back in the second quarter to take the lead into halftime before Oklahoma City regained control in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Thunder were unable to get things going as they were outscored 32-18 which led to the Pacers picking up the 116-107 victory to give them a 2-1 lead in the series.
Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
May 26, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8), forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) talk to the media after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in game four of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
© Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
There were multiple reasons for the Thunder’s loss on Wednesday night but two key reasons were their turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch.
Oklahoma City committed 19 turnovers in the game while only forcing 14 by Indiana, which is uncharacteristic of them this season.
While the Thunder need to clean things up in Game 4 on Friday night, NBA legend Charles Barkley believes a different decision led to their struggles in the series and he called out head coach Mark Daigneault after Wednesday’s game.
“I just think it was a mistake. You are who you are. Don't change. You're in the Finals. They've been the best team in the NBA all year,” Barkley said about Daigneault’s decision to change the starting lineup during the NBA Finals.
Of course, Daigneault has elected to start Cason Wallace over Isaiah Hartenstein in all three games of the series thus far, which was a major change after Hartenstein had been starting for most of the season and all of the playoffs.
Oct 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) gestures after a play against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Paycom Center.
Oct 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) gestures after a play against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Paycom Center.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Wallace has played well in the starting lineup but with Oklahoma City’s small lineup, the Pacers have been able to go at them with both Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam.
Because of this, it is clear that Barkley believes that Daigneault’s decision was a mistake and it will be interesting to see if he moves Hartenstein back into the starting lineup for Game 4 as they try to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole.