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INDIANAPOLIS — Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City Thunder got their first taste of NBA Finals basketball on the road in Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers. After losing 1116-107 in a game where the Thunder coughed up a whopping 17 turnovers, coach Mark Daigneault discussed his team’s emotions before Game 4, which Hartenstein isn’t concerned about, given his team’s track record after losses.
The last time the Thunder lost two games in a row was nearly seven months ago during the regular season. Ahead of Game 4, Hartenstein addressed the Pacers’ home crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and its significance entering Oklahoma City’s most crucial game of the 2024-25 campaign.
“Atmospheres are also good, but as a player, you get so, in the present moment, you kind of just blend it out,” Hartenstein said. “It was more on us not executing what we needed to do, rather than an atmosphere type of thing. They have great fans here. But I think, as a player, you blend it out at times.”
The Pacers outscored the Thunder 32-18 in the fourth quarter of Game 3. Oklahoma City scored 14 points off the Pacers’ 14 turnovers, but conceded 21 points when Indiana turned the Thunder over 17 times. The seven points were essentially the difference in Game 3’s nine-point loss.
“We all have that mental mindset. We try to stay in the present moment, push our emotions aside, but also come in with that little edge to us,” Hartenstein said. “You’re human. You’re going to have emotions after the game. I don’t think anyone was satisfied or happy after the game, but now we’re back to zero.”
Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder’s starting center throughout the regular and postseason, has come off the bench in the NBA Finals. He finished with four points, three rebounds, and one steal in 18 minutes in Wednesday’s loss.
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Mark Daigneault on Thunder players managing emotions in Game 4
After Thunder forward Chet Holmgren issued a stern challenge to teammates before Game 4, coach Mark Daigneault showed faith in his guys. Daigneault’s not concerned over the Thunder’s mindset heading into the biggest game of the season.
“We stay pretty emotionally even, you know? In all of the different experiences, and you really see that when we win,” Daigneault said. “If you’re gonna get high on the wins. Then, the natural opposite of that is to get low on the losses, and this team doesn’t really swing violently between those two things. Never has. I think a lot of that is just the personality of the players, and they do a great job of that.”
The Pacers will host the Thunder in Game 4 on Friday.
