Thursday, June 12

Sports Mole previews Saturday's NBA Finals clash between Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Forty-eight hours after their most recent encounter, the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are back at it in Game Four of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The hosts made home advantage count to take a 2-1 series lead last time out, and the onus is now on the visitors to restore parity and avoid going 3-1 down before returning to Oklahoma for Game Five.

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Match preview

Back on home turf for the first time since clinching the Eastern Conference title against the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers gave their fans another memorable postseason experience by coming from behind once again to claim a 116-107 triumph over the Thunder on Thursday.

Slow starts to both halves either side of a dominant second quarter left Rick Carlisle's men trailing by five points heading into the final 12 minutes, where they produced one of their most dominant displays in a quarter to turn the contest on its head.

In keeping with the Pacers' playoff journey so far, Thursday's victory was by no means a one-man show, as Bennedict Mathurin came up clutch off the bench with a game-high 27 points—the most in a finals game with 22 or fewer minutes played—while Tyrese Haliburton finished just one rebound shy of a triple-double, having tallied 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.

If history is anything to go by, the Pacers might well be on their way to a championship, as teams that have won Game Three of a finals series previously tied at 1-1 have gone on to emerge eventual champions 80% of the time.

Giving this weekend's opponents a taste of their own medicine last time out with some stifling defence, especially down the stretch, which yielded 17 turnovers, six more than the Thunder's average of 11 in the playoffs so far, Saturday's hosts will need to keep up similar levels of defensive intensity here.

Similar to their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves 2-1 down after three matches and are in need of a pick-me-up ahead of a pivotal fourth encounter in Indianapolis.

Mark Daigneault's men looked to have figured out the Pacers in Monday's Game Two victory and for large spells of Thursday's Game Three before a shambolic fourth-quarter showing saw them outscored by 14 points, their second-highest margin of defeat in a playoff quarter so far, en route to a nine-point defeat.

Like the Pacers, the Thunder also had three players score 20+ points, as Jalen Williams (26), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24) and Chet Holmgren (20) combined for 65% of their team's total tally on the day.

Still yet to lose consecutive games in the playoffs so far, the Western Conference champions will be confident of bouncing back with a win, although their record away from home now reads two wins from the last six games.

Given how unassailable 3-1 deficits have proven to be in playoff history, Saturday's visitors cannot afford another slip-up this weekend as they head into what is arguably the most important game in their quest for NBA glory.

Indiana Pacers NBA Playoffs form:

Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Playoffs form:

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Team News

 

Isaiah Jackson will continue to cheer on the rest of his Indiana Pacers teammates from the treatment table due to a calf problem he picked up back in early November.

Meanwhile, first-choice center Myles Turner played through an illness in the entire Game Three, and his fitness for Saturday's affair is something to keep an eye on.

Twenty-one-year-old Jarace Walker will have to wait a little longer to make his return to action from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since the start of the month.

Nikola Topic is unavailable through an anterior cruciate ligament issue, although the Serbian should be back in time to make his OKC debut at the start of next season.

Managing just three points in the fourth quarter last time out, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unable to come up clutch down the stretch and will be aiming to bounce back.

Indiana Pacers possible starting lineup:

Haliburton, Nembhard; Nesmith, Siakam; Turner

Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting lineup:

Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort; Wallace, Williams; Holmgren

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We say: Thunder to win by 5+ points

The Thunder were uncharacteristically fragile in decisive moments last time out and have left themselves with some work to do in this weekend's encounter.

We can see them levelling the series with a win here to head back to the PayCom Center on a high.

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