It’s all on the line for the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4. After a shoddy display in Game 3, they hope to bounce the series back in their favor and take command. Coach Mark Daigneault emphasized the effort they need to show in Game 4. Although OKC stayed aggressive throughout the regular season, the Indiana Pacers have matched those defensive efforts.
They came out fierce from the tip-off, and fans undoubtedly witnessed it during the game’s first possession. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got caught for an offensive foul on Andrew Nembhard as fans caught early sparks of an emotionally charged man.
Hence, in the pre-game press conference before Game 4, the reporters asked Daigneault regarding SGA’s wind-up.
Mark Daigneault Speaks About the Early Offensive Call on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Replying to the question, the Thunder coach, Daigneault, mentioned in the press conference, “You can ask him. I’m not going to make that assumption. The first play, probably the first play of the game. Shai does a pretty good job of staying inside of himself. He’s not perfect, and he probably gets — I don’t even know what the word would be, but he probably gets off his game from time to time, possession to possession.”
With Nembhard approaching Gilgeous-Alexander aggressively, they showed hands and pushed each other throughout that possession. The officials saw the foul and called it against SGA. It could probably be the fastest offensive foul recorded in an NBA Finals game. Yet, Daigneault stood up for SGA like any fine coach and protected his star player.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a personal foul 8 seconds into game 3 (with a replay)
Such an early call. pic.twitter.com/4mr182afuE
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 12, 2025
He continued, “I think one of his superpowers is the ability to get into the next possession, the next game, the next experience. He’s the last guy I’m worried about with that.” Even SGA spoke about the loss of Game 3, but looked motivated to set the record straight. The real conundrum would be to put more effort into stopping the Pacers from running riot once again. Noticing their high intensity, Daigneault gave them their flowers.
“That said, Indiana has done a great job through three games of the series with us. Like I said, we haven’t played our best. Certainly, in Game 3, we didn’t play our best. I thought Indiana had a lot to do with that. I never want to discredit the opponent, all the effort they’re putting in,” said Daigneault.
Getting the Fundamentals Right Remains Crucial for OKC
In Game 3, the Pacers put up 49 bench points to OKC’s 18, which became the difference. The Thunder, a team that doesn’t commit many turnovers, had 19, as the Pacers punished them with 21 points off turnovers. Securing the ball and making critical decisions looks like this series’ blueprint, and hopefully, the Thunder can turn it around in Game 4.
The Thunder coach continued, “All their team, their players, they just outplayed us, out-coached us, out-everything last night. We certainly need to move on and let that go. But we also need to own that so we can learn from it.”
It would be an electric atmosphere in Game 4 as the Pacers aim to extend the series lead to 3-1 while the Thunder would look to tie the series 2-2. To reiterate the point, it’s all on the line.
