The Oklahoma City Thunder seemed to find something by staving off the Indiana Pacers and securing a critical 111-104 Game 4 victory on Friday night in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Oklahoma City managed to entirely shut down the Pacers late, as the team failed to score a single field goal in the contest's final 3:20 of regulation. The Thunder outscored Indiana 12-1 in that timespan to snag the win and even the NBA Finals, 2-2.
Head coach Mark Daigneault, the 2024 Coach of the Year, opted to return to his two-big starting lineup, elevating big man Isaiah Hartenstein over swingman Cason Wallace. Alongside third-year big Chet Holmgren, Hartenstein formed a formidable frontcourt tandem against Indiana.
May 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gestures in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
May 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gestures in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Hartenstein's defense was impressive, but he still played fairly finite minutes, and was subbed out late in exchange for 6-foot-4 reserve wing Alex Caruso, whose 30 minutes of action outpaced Hartenstein's 21. Hartenstein scored two points on 1-of-3 shooting from the field, pulled down six rebounds, and dished out three dimes.
During a postgame presser, Daigneault explained his decision to bring Hartenstein back into his first five, per Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire.
“It was a point to get Hart more minutes tonight. I thought he’s been helpful in his minutes,” Daigneault said. “But in terms of the lineup, I mean, we go into every game trying to figure out the formula to win that game. That’s what we thought was best to win Game 4 tonight.”
Game 5 is slated for Monday night at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.