Subscribe
Follow Us
With their backs against the wall, the Oklahoma City Thunder stormed into Game 4 and secured a hard-fought 111–104 win over the Indiana Pacers that tied the 2025 NBA Finals at two games apiece. In a series defined by razor-thin margins and shifting momentum, the Thunder once again rose to the moment. Adding to the night’s intrigue, head coach Mark Daigneault made a bold pregame adjustment, as he replaced Cason Wallace with Isaiah Hartenstein in the starting lineup.
In his post-game press conference, Daigneault explained the decision: “That lineup has very distinct strengths, and you can draw on it at different times. It was a point to get Hartenstein more minutes tonight.” He continued, “He’s been helpful in his minutes. But in terms of the lineup, we just go to every game and try to figure out the formula to win that game. That’s what we thought was best for a Game 4 win tonight.”
Mark Daigneault on starting Hartenstein over Wallace: pic.twitter.com/L1AFqRIKZs
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 14, 2025
Indeed, Daigneault's tactical shift paid off. Hartenstein brought added size and physicality to the floor, as his presence in the paint gave Oklahoma City a stronger interior defense and a much-needed edge in the rebound department. He finished with just two points and six rebounds in 21 minutes, but his impact went beyond the stat sheet. Daigneault's gamble worked, and it helped tilt the momentum back to the Thunder.
Even though they trailed by as much as 10 points late in the third quarter, the Thunder didn’t flinch. Instead, they rallied furiously, dismantling what had looked like unstoppable momentum for the Pacers. As the Indiana crowd reached a fever pitch, OKC stayed locked in, cool, relentless, and unshaken. With each clutch possession, they drained the energy from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The message from Mark Daigneault and the Thunder was clear: this series was far from over.
Article Continues Below
Once again, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge. He logged 40 minutes and poured in 35 points, also adding three rebounds and three steals. Most impressively, he went a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, and each bucket he scored down the stretch landed like a dagger.
On the other hand, the loss was heartbreaking for the Pacers. They had controlled the pace for much of the night, but in the final 12 minutes, everything they worked so hard to build unraveled. The offense stalled, their defense faded, and with the game slipping away, their earlier composure vanished.
Yet flickers of hope remained. Indiana fought to stay within reach, showing glimpses of the poise that carried them earlier in the series. But when the final buzzer echoed through Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it marked more than just a loss, it signaled a shift in the battle for the crown.
With the series now deadlocked at two games apiece, everything hangs in the balance. Game 5 of the NBA Finals awaits, where pressure mounts, heroes emerge, and one team inches closer to glory. If the Thunder go on to win, Mark Daigneault's gutsy lineup change ahead of Game 4 could be looked at as a turning point in this series.
