On Friday evening, the Pacers will host the Thunder for Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Indiana has a 2-1 series lead after a 116-107 win Wednesday in Game 3.
Game 4 is pivotal for both teams in this series. A win for the Thunder ties the series 2-2 and gives them home-court advantage again. If the Pacers take Game 4, they will be one win away from their first NBA championship. Ahead of Friday night, analysts around the league have questioned if head coach Mark Daigneault needs to adjust the starting lineup.
Will Mark Daigneault make any adjustments ahead of Game 4?
The Thunder are +7 with the double-big lineup of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren on the floor together. They’ve played 10 minutes with that look so far in the series.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) June 12, 2025
Through the first three rounds of the 2025 playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder used the same starting lineup every game. It was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein. For Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, head coach Mark Daigneault made a tweak to the starting lineup. Instead of Hartenstein, Daigneault turned to Cason Wallace.
The Indiana Pacers are a fast-paced team and are always looking to move the ball in transition. That’s likely why Daigneault has started Cason Wallace in the Finals over Isaiah Hartenstein. Wallace is a versatile defender for the Thunder but has struggled to help the team offensively. In three finals games, Wallace is 0-6 from beyond the arc and has 17 total points.
CBS Sports reporter Sam Quinn noted that OKC is +7 in the Finals when Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are on the floor together. However, the two big men have only shared the court for 10 minutes of play between three games. Another move for OKC is to potentially start Alex Caruso over Cason Wallace. Caruso has been a key role player for the Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals. He scored 20 points in OKC’s Game 2 win. Can the Thunder get a win in Game 4 and even the series 2-2 heading home for Game 5?
