- Indiana Pacers (10-35, 15th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-8, 1st in the West)
- When: Friday, 23 January 2026 at 7:00pm CST
- Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
- TV: FDSN-OK
- Offensive Rating: IND: 107.8 (30th) / OKC: 118.5 (5th)
- Defensive Rating: IND: 116.0 (19th) / OKC: 105.2 (1st)
- Net Rating: IND: -8.2 (28th) / OKC: 13.2 (1st)
- Current Streaks: IND: 1-4 in their last 5 games / OKC: 7-1 in their last 8 games
The Set-Up
It’s amazing how quickly things can change when it comes to sports. Last couple of seasons, we’ve seen a tough bunch out of Indiana led by Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakim, and Myles Turner. That squad, surprisingly, led the Pacers all the way to the Finals last season and took the Thunder to 7 games. Unfortunately, you know the rest of the story. Haliburton tears his Achilles early in Game 7, the Thunder take control of that game in the second half, OKC wins the championship, and Turner walks in the offseason to division rival Milwaukee. What was looking to be a championship contender for the next half decade now has to go back to the drawing board. The move to get their pick back during the Finals is now one of the greatest hind-sight moves ever. With their struggles this season and a record that should allow them to get a high draft pick, the right amount of luck could get them back in the championship mix a lot sooner than later. This should also be a lesson to Thunder fans to live in the moment. A serious injury to the wrong player could throw, not just a season, but an entire run into a tailspin. Appreciate what you are seeing now instead of constantly worrying about what you can’t see (the future).
This is the 2nd and final meeting of the season between the two teams that competed in last season’s NBA Finals. OKC won a double overtime thriller very early in the season, 141-135, in a game that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get a career high 55 points.
Betting Info, presented by FanDuel
- Line: OKC -16
- O/U: 226.5
Injury Report
OKC
- Alex Caruso – OUT (adductor)
- Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
- Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal)
- Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
- Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
- Aaron Wiggins – Questionable (groin)
- Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)
- Jaylin Williams – Questionable (glute/back)
IND
- Tyrese Haliburton – OFS (Achilles)
- Quenton Jackson – Questionable (ankle)
- Bennedict Mathurin – OUT (thumb)
- Obi Toppin – OUT (foot)
Three Big Things
- Play Your Brand of Defense – The Indiana Pacers are one of the worst shooting teams in the league. They are last in Offensive Rating, FG%, Effective FG%, and True Shooting%. They are 29th in 3-pt FG%. They are 25th in Points In The Paint. In short, they struggle scoring the ball. They rank 5th in the league in percentage of points scored in the mid-range. This plays well into the Thunder’s defensive scheme. If the Thunder can form their defensive shell around the paint and not have to worry too much about jump shots, that usually a recipe for success for Oklahoma City.
- Attack Them – The Pacers are 29th in the league in committing fouls. Their perimeter defense is surprisingly porous and center Jay Huff is their only viable rim protector. We may see a double digit free throw attempt game from SGA tonight.
- Depth…or lack thereof – I’m really going to need the Thunder to stop getting injured. The depth, which is one of their biggest weapons, is taking hits left and right. And while the injuries are thankfully not of the critical variety (outside of Sorber), they are still becoming very annoying. Here’s hoping for health now and health heading into the playoffs in April.