INDIANAPOLIS — The difference in trailing 3-1 in the NBA Finals versus coming back home tied 2-2 is enormous. But the margin separating those two outcomes can be razor thin.
The Thunder proved as much Friday night in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, storming back to beat the Pacers 111-104 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
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Let’s get to the grades.
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Lineup change: D
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault went back to the two-big starting lineup that he used for much of the season, with Isaiah Hartenstein taking back the starting spot from Cason Wallace.
It didn’t go great.
Over the first five-plus minutes of the game, the two-big lineup gave up 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting as the Pacers scored on six of their first eight possessions. That included five points from Pascal Siakam and four from Myles Turner, the opposing bigs Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were guarding.
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Hartenstein, who was good off the bench in the first two games of the series, struggled in Indiana. Four points in Game 3. Two in Game 4.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JUNE 13: Head coach Mark Daigneault and Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Oklahoma City Thunder cpeak during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 13, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
First-quarter survival: B+
Gainbridge Fieldhouse registered on the Richter scale when Andrew Nembhard cashed a corner 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 20-12 lead. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called a timeout to calm his team amid the tremors.
The Thunder trailed by as many as nine in the first quarter, but it quickly drew even with a 9-0 run. Lu Dort tied the game 24-24 with a 3-pointer that had the hangtime of a Pat McAfee punt.
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The Pacers led 35-34 after the first quarter. That was a win for the Thunder considering the surge it had to withstand to only trail by a point.
— Joe Mussatto, columnist
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Lu Dort: A+
Perfection is impossible when you’re a lockdown defender assigned to the opponent’s best players; those guys are always going to score on you. But Dort gets an A+ because of what he did in the fourth quarter.
He checked in with 9:36 left in the final frame and the Pacers up three.
Dort played the rest of the game, and the Thunder outscored the Pacers 25-15.
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“I thought Lu in particular set an unbelievable tone defensively in the fourth quarter,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “That was kind of contagious. But his energy, he was just on it and was very impressive. Got great performances from a lot of guys, but I thought he really kind of swung the game with his approach when he went back in the game.”
Dort fought over and through and around screens repeatedly. He didn’t always stay with Tyrese Haliburton, his primary assignment; sometimes the Thunder had to switch defenders. Dort didn’t keep Haliburton from scoring either; he had eight points during the time Dort was in the game in the fourth. But over the final three-plus minutes of the game, Haliburton didn’t score.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
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Jun 13, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first half during game four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Chet Holmgren’s fourth-quarter defense: A
After the Thunder took its first lead of the fourth quarter with just over two minutes left, the Pacers had opportunities to answer Oklahoma City’s surge when some of their guards got switched off screens to Chet Holmgren.
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The Thunder big man is great at the rim, but guarding smaller guards on the perimeter?
Well, he might not make a career out of it, but Friday, he was masterful.
First, he hung with Tyrese Haliburton and forced him into a 3 that missed. The very next possession, Holmgren found himself on Andrew Nembhard and challenged him on a missed jumper. Then on the next trip down the floor, Holmgren again switched onto Haliburton, who he forced to pass instead of finding a shot.
Holmgren’s fourth-quarter plus-minus: plus-16.
Impressive stuff for anyone, but even more so for a 7-footer.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
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Kenrich Williams: B
Kenrich Williams played a combined 10 minutes and 20 seconds in the first three games of the Finals. Then he played 11 minutes and 17 seconds in the Thunder’s critical Game 4 win.
The Thunder outscored the Pacers by seven points when Williams was on the floor. He had four points, three rebounds and one of the Thunder’s 10 assists.
Daigneault did all sorts of rotational tinkering Friday night, even aside from the big change in the starting lineup. SGA, for example, almost always plays the entire first quarter. But he didn’t Friday night.
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— Joe Mussatto, columnist
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Ball movement: D
The Pacers assisted on 21 of their 34 baskets. The Thunder, by contrast, had only 10 assists on 37 makes.
OKC’s offense has looked downright stodgy against Indiana. Credit Rick Carlisle and his staff, which continues to do more with less.
The Thunder’s volume of passes has been way down this series. Through three games, Indiana averaged 329 passes per game to OKC’s 223. We don’t have the Game 4 data yet, but the gulf in ball movement felt just as wide.
— Joe Mussatto, columnist
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3-point shooting: F
Related to the poor ball movement, the Thunder had a hard time converting what few 3-point looks it could find.
OKC shot 3 of 17(!) from 3-point range. Teams aren’t supposed to win with that kind of math.
The Thunder made one 3-pointer in each of the first, third and fourth quarters. It went 0 of 6 in the second quarter.
The Thunder became the first team to make three or fewer 3-pointers in an NBA Finals win since the 2010 Celtics.
— Joe Mussatto, columnist
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Jun 13, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the first half during game four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Jalen Williams’ aggression: A
A fourth-quarter comeback wouldn’t have been possible without a first-quarter attack by Jalen Williams.
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The Thunder wing was aggressive from the jump Friday, scoring 12 points in the first frame and getting to the free-throw line six times. He kept going to the basket and getting to his spots even as the rest of the Oklahoma City offense seemed stuck in neutral.
Without him, who knows what kind of lead the Pacers might have built.
Williams didn’t let up either. He finished the game with 27 points, hitting 8 of 18 shots and going a perfect 11 of 11 at the free-throw line.
He didn’t make any shots from behind the arc, missing all three that he attempted, and he turned the ball over four times. But again, none of that threw him off track. He never seemed out of control or frustrated in a must-win game.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder vs. Pacers grades: Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren turn Game 4 to OKC