“We just got to keep, um, stay focused on the group. Um, do our jobs, and for us, as much as long as we can just minimize the outside noise and not worry about everything that’s outside of us, um, and it keeps us just focused, um, and our team. We have a lot of underdogs, and I think that’s a good place to be,” said Pascal Siakam about Game 4.

From the start of the playoffs, the Indiana Pacers kept proving people wrong. They had a +700 odds rating upon entering the Finals. Despite this, the squad now holds a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Siakam, the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, has continued to be an aggressive force of this effort.

Therefore, going into Game 4, the team will need him at his best again. Fortunately, the player does not have any lingering issues to deal with.

According to the Indiana Pacers’ Injury Report, as highlighted by ESPN, Pascal Siakam will be returning to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, along with the other starters, to ensure another win that would bring him closer to that one last win needed for him to secure his 2nd championship, and the first ever for the Pacers. This is certainly good news. After all, it confirms that the prowess through which the player has been playing has not caused his previous issues with the elbow to return.

In previous months, Pascal Siakam reportedly suffered from right olecranon bursitis. As highlighted by the Cleveland Clinic, this ailment is the painful swelling around the elbow joint, which occurs when there is reportedly inflammation in the olecranon bursa, aka the fluid-filled sac surrounding and protecting the elbow.

Pascal Siakam was first declared ‘Questionable’, due to the ailment, for a game back in March. However, Siakam still played in that matchup. By April, the condition worsened. The player was ultimately declared ‘OUT’ of one matchup each against the Denver Nuggets, the Orlando Magic, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fortunately, the Eastern Conference Finals MVP hasn’t missed a game, due to the elbow ailment, since April 13th. He won’t break that streak in the next matchup.

While things are fine for Pascal Siakam, the same cannot be said about Jarace Walker. The small forward will miss his 4th consecutive game due to a right ankle sprain. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder will continue to miss Nikola Topic. The 19-year-old had undergone a successful left ACL procedure back in July 2024. This caused him to miss the entirety of the 2024-25 season. In light of these updates, at least one team will have to make adjustments to the starting lineup.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Pacers-OKC Game 4 look like?

Throughout the last 3 games, Pascal Siakam has averaged 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He will need to stay on par with that level, or above it, in Game 4. After Game 3, head coach Rick Carlisle had raised some concern for Myles Turner by revealing, “Well, Myles is under the weather, and, um, he may not even be with us tomorrow. Um, he’s just…. hasn’t been feeling well the last couple of days. It was affecting his wind. Um, he won’t bring it up, but, you know, I think it’s just appropriate to mention that, that he is working through something. Um, some kind of a cold, or whatever, but he’s just not feeling himself.” Fortunately, Turner is not on the Injury Report, meaning he will play in the upcoming hours.

In light of these updates, the starting lineup for the Indiana Pacers is expected to look like this:

The absence of Nikola Topic will not affect the Oklahoma City Thunder much. After all, he didn’t play even a single game during the 2024-25 regular season. Therefore, the starting lineup for OKC is expected to look like this:

The Indiana Pacers or the Oklahoma City Thunder? Who will you be rooting for? Let us know in the comments section down below.