INDIANAPOLIS — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder will try to even up the 2025 NBA Finals against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 after pulling past the Thunder for a 116-107 win in Game 3 Wednesday night.
Here what you need to know about the Thunder-Pacers game:
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Apparently some Pacer fans aren’t happy with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins.
Two guys in the front row at the Pacers game dressed like Dumb and Dumber with Stephen A Smith and Kendrick Perkins faces on their suits
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/kSSv4A4LHh
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) June 14, 20254:11 left in 3Q: Pacers 80, Thunder 72 | Obi Toppin extends Indiana lead
The Pacers have outscored the Thunder 33-3 from 3 after that Obi Toppin 3-pointer. It’s another timeout for OKC.
7:16 left in 3Q: Pacers 71, Thunder 64 | OKC is 1-for-12 on 3-pointers
Indiana goes up seven points on a Pascal Siakam 3-pointer and OKC calls timeout.
The Thunder is 1-for-12 from deep but 17-for-18 from the line.
End of first half: Pacers 60, Thunder 57 | Obi Toppin, Lu Dort each called for flagrant fouls in physical second quarter
How about some bad blood in these NBA Finals?
The physicality turned up another notch in the second quarter, and when Alex Caruso had a breakaway negated by a hard foul from Obi Toppin, players had to be separated. Isaiah Hartenstein was the first Thunder to come to Caruso’s defense, approaching Toppin, and that brought all the other players on the court into the fray.
No punches were thrown, no shoves exchanged.
But the contact was reviewed and deemed to be a flagrant-one foul on Toppin, who would’ve drawn a pass-interference penalty in another venue.
Thunder defensive doberman Lu Dort drew his own flagrant-one foul later in the quarter, ironically on a Toppin drive.
Those were the most notable bit of tough play in the quarter, but the Thunder has turned it up after the Pacers ramped up their physicality in Game 3. The result was a hard-fought quarter in which the Pacers outscored the Thunder 25-23.
Jalen Williams (16 points), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12) and Alex Caruso (11) are all in double figures for the Thunder while Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers with 14 points.
—Jenni Carlson, Columnist
1:44 left in 2Q: Thunder 55, Pacers 53 | Lu Dort picks up flagrant-1 foul against Obi Toppin
Now *two* flagrant 1s called in this game after Scott Foster says Lu Dort winded up when trying to contest Toppin there.
Toppin made one of two free throws.
Caitlin Clark in attendance for Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Game 4
The Pacers haven’t lost in the playoffs this season with Fever star Caitlin Clark watching at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston arrive to watch the Pacers take on the Thunder 🤝
Indy is 8-0 when Clark is in attendance 💪 pic.twitter.com/f7mmNJvjsN
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 14, 20255:46 left in 2Q: Thunder 48, Pacers 45 | Obi Toppin picks up flagrant-1 foul on Alex Caruso
Caruso made both free throws.
6:35 left in 2Q: Thunder 46, Pacers 45 | Kenrich Williams gives OKC lead
Kenny Hustle has four points and two rebounds in six minutes for the Thunder.
End of first quarter: Pacers 35, Thunder 34 | Jalen Williams, OKC weathered an early storm
It isn’t in the Pacers’ nature to take their foot off the gas.
Despite trailing 2-1 in the series, it wasn’t OKC that began Game 4 with more intensity. It was Indiana.
The Pacers used the pick and roll to target Isaiah Hartenstein, who made his first start of the Finals over Cason Wallace. And they consistently found the open man whenever they forced the Thunder’s defense to collapse, which helped them register an assist on nine of their 11 made shots.
But OKC weathered the storm thanks in large part to Jalen Williams, who scored 12 points and served as the team’s go-to shot creator. The Thunder also made all nine of its free-throw attempts.
—Justin Martinez, Staff writer
4:43 left in 1Q: Thunder 24, Pacers 24 | Lu Dort drains 3 to cap 9-0 OKC run
It’s a 9-0 run for the Thunder, a good response after Indy came out sparking from 3 and keeping OKC in rotation (though the Thunder is volunteering it at times). Pacer offense was rolling, Thunder offense bit on some tough looks, but good pocket of rhythm here.
—Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer
7:01 left in 1Q: Pacers 20, Thunder 12 | Indiana off hot shooting start
The Pacers are 4-for-5 from 3-point land. Myles Turner has six points and Pascal Siakam has five for Indiana.
NBA Finals Game 4: Thunder starting lineup
(With postseason averages)
NBA Finals Game 4: Pacers starting lineup
(With postseason averages)
Isaiah Hartenstein will start over Cason Wallace in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.Hartenstein is back in the starting lineup after holding that role for most of the regular season and the first three rounds of the playoffs. Wallace started the first three games of the Finals over Hartenstein, as OKC opted to go with a smaller lineup.Hartenstein is averaging 5.3 points and 6.7 rebounds off the bench this series. He’s shooting 60% from the field.OKC hasn’t gone with its double-big lineup that features Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren often in the Finals. The duo has played a combined 10 minutes together through three games with a net rating of 33.2.Game 4 is set for 7:30 p.m. CT Friday in Indianapolis (ABC). Indiana holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
—Justin Martinez, Staff writer
Game 3 provided as little air space as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had all series.
He was picked up higher up the floor than he had been against any team this postseason. The doubles aimed at him were timely and furious. His 20 shot attempts were the fewest of the series.
Now coach Mark Daigneault is aiming for solutions, both to the way Indiana is defending him and the outlets away from him.
“Obviously, we had really good stretches and didn’t attack it well enough for enough of the game,” Daigneault said. “And that’s the challenge tonight. We know they’re going to pressure again. They’ve been pretty consistent with that. We think we have some solutions to that, but we got to go do it, and we’ve got to have the will to have more force than they have.”
—Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer
Pacers center Myles Turner, who is off the injury list, “seems to be better,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said Friday before Game 4.
Turner has been dealing with an illness, which has limited his involvement with the team between games.
“I know he’s looking forward to getting back out there,” Carlisle said.
Turner is averaging 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
—Joe Mussatto, Columnist
Date: Friday, June 13Time: 7:30 p.m. CTWhere: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
The Thunder vs Pacers game starts at 7:30 p.m. CT Friday from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Where to watch Thunder vs Pacers Game 4 in NBA Finals
The Thunder vs Pacers game will be broadcast on ABC. It can be streamed on Fubo and ESPN+.
NBA Finals schedule: Thunder vs. Pacers
All times are Central
Thunder vs Pacers odds
Odds via BetMGM as of Thursday, June 12
Odds: Thunder by 6.5
Over/under: 225.5
Moneyline: OKC -235 | Indiana +195
Thunder vs Pacers predictions, expert picks for NBA Finals Game 4
Justin Martinez: OKC 113, Indiana 109
Indiana disrupted OKC’s rhythm on offense in Game 3. It caused problems for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with its physicality, and it made numerous hustle plays to help force 19 turnovers. But the safe bet is that Gilgeous-Alexander will bounce back, and a good amount of those turnovers were careless ones that can be cleaned up. I expect the Thunder to play its best basketball Friday in what’s pretty close to a must-win game. Give me OKC on the road.
Thunder vs. Pacers injury updates
Thunder: Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is out.
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson (right Achilles tendon tear) is out. Jarace Walker (right ankle sprain) is out.
Oklahoma City has not won an NBA championship, but the Seattle Supersonics won the 1979 title. The franchise relocated to OKC before the 2008 season.
Indiana has not won an NBA championship, but the Pacers twice won the ABA championship (1972-73).
Games: 76Points: 32.7 per gameRebounds: 5.0 per gameAssists: 6.4 per gameSteals: 1.7 per gameBlocks: 1.0 per gameField-goal shooting: 51.9%3-point shooting: 37.5%Free-throw shooting: 89.8%
T.J. McConnell stats for 2024-25 NBA seasonGames: 79Points: 9.1 per gameRebounds: 2.4 per gameAssists: 4.4 per gameSteals: 1.1 per gameBlocks: 0.3 per gameField-goal shooting: 51.9%3-point shooting: 30.6%Free-throw shooting: 74.0%Games: 73Points: 18.6 per gameRebounds: 3.5 per gameAssists: 9.2 per gameSteals: 1.4 per gameBlocks: 0.7 per gameField-goal shooting: 47.3%3-point shooting: 38.8%Free-throw shooting: 85.1%
Thunder vs Pacers highlights in NBA Finals Game 4
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