Game 7 of the NBA Finals is here, and this is as big as it gets — Thunder and Pacers with everything on the line in a hostile OKC arena. The storylines will all scream SGA and Haliburton, but I’m laser-focused on finding the undervalued guys who can flip this game. This is one of those spots where role players and under-the-radar names—as they have all series long—can swing the outcome. Let’s lock in and dig into the overlooked matchups that could deliver serious value tonight for your DraftKings DFS lineups.
And, seeing as it’s Game 7, tonight’s Showdown contest is indeed a milly-maker! You’re going to want to go set your DraftKings lineups here, folks: NBA Showdown $1M Finals Game 7 Special [$200K to 1st] (IND @ OKC)!
PG T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers ($5,800)
I’m banking on TJ McConnell as Indiana’s not-so-secret-anymore weapon. McConnell thrives when the game gets scrappy, and tonight is tailor-made for that. The Thunder will lean hard on their primary guards — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($14,400) will have the ball in his hands 40-plus minutes and Jalen Williams ($10,800) will handle the secondary creation. That’s exactly where McConnell shines as an irritant. He’ll be hounding Williams on every touch, looking to jump passing lanes and speed up OKC’s less experienced ball handlers like Cason Wallace ($3,000) and Aaron Wiggins ($2,400).
He’ll also be switched onto SGA plenty, but Indiana doesn’t need him to lock SGA up one-on-one — they need him to frustrate the Thunder into careless possessions and rushed decisions. McConnell’s strength is his relentless pressure and anticipation, and tonight those tools can help him generate easy runouts. Oklahoma City has shown in this series that they cough up turnovers when pressed, especially when SGA’s forced to give the ball up early. McConnell can capitalize on that and put the Thunder on their heels before they can even set up the defense.
He’s averaged 11.3 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 19 minutes per game this series. In Game 6, he exploded for 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. His 2.3 steals per 36 minutes rank him among the top playoff reserves. His 64.1% true-shooting clip on pull-up midranges highlights elite efficiency in tight spaces. He’s run 28 pick-and-rolls this series with a 38.7% assist rate, sparking open shooters. McConnell’s +14 net rating when he’s on the floor shows his all-around impact. He’s knocked down 47.8% of his catch-and-shoot triples, forcing OKC’s wings to track him obsessively. Tonight he’ll exploit OKC’s second lineup, priming him for clutch transition breaks and high-leverage finishers off the bench—and I expect him to tilt this Game 7 in Indiana’s favor.
I will say, if the Thunder force an extended matchup between McConnell and Alex Caruso ($9,600), as they’ve done at times during the series, it’s worth noting Caruso’s motor for defensive disruption. Even in a scoreless Game 6 (0-for-2 shooting), Caruso graded out with a +12 net rating thanks to his on-ball disruption (1.8 steals per 36 minutes) and textbook rotations. His ability to climb off screens, close out on shooters, then sprint the lane for hoops makes him the Thunder’s Swiss Army knife whenever Shai sits.
Still—McConnell will feast on OKC’s bench pairing Caruso and Wiggins, exploiting their 11.3% turnover rate with lightning steals, push-the-pace drives. He’s right in the same range as my next value.
C Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder ($5,200)
I’m banking on Isaiah Hartenstein to tilt this series in OKC’s favor. He’s the enforcer nobody’s been talking enough about. He’s been a menace on the glass all postseason, owning the paint with a ridiculous 12.4% box-out rate that fuels extra possessions and denies second-chance looks. Every minute he’s on the floor, the Thunder lean on him to set the tone with physicality, and he hasn’t blinked. Across this series, he’s pulled down 7.5 boards per game and added 2.1 assists. He’s a connector who can swing the offense with smart handoffs and high-post reads.
And tonight’s Game 7 is the perfect setup for him to dominate. Myles Turner ($8,400) tends to drift to the perimeter, and Pascal Siakam ($15,900) loves to attack downhill, so Hartenstein can camp in the paint and clean up the mess. The Pacers’ interior defense is vulnerable if you hit them first, and Hartenstein is going to make them pay by bullying on the block and converting those high-efficiency looks at the rim — where he’s hitting 68.2% this postseason. Combine that with his elite 76.5% defensive rebounding rate, and you’ve got a guy ready to shut the door. He’s going to leave his fingerprints all over this one.
In Game 6, he dominated with 13 boards, three assists and two rejections in 28 minutes . His 12.4% box-out rate generates 3.2 extra points per contest, terrorizing Indiana’s thin frontline. He ranks top-three in pick-and-roll screen assists, springboarding cutters into layups with surgical precision. He converts 68.2% of his rim attempts, bulldozing through Pacers’ interior defenders. Indiana enters Game 7 as a ten-time underdog winner, but Hartenstein’s 76.5% defensive rebound rate will suffocate their second-chance edge. With the line drifting to OKC −7.0, his glass-cleaning and rim-running will prove decisive.
