OKC Thunder host Pacers – everything you need to know

The first meeting between the OKC Thunder and Pacers didn’t take place until the end of April (21st). It was one of the more competitive matches the Thunder played during their losing streak. After trailing by 10 points at the half OKC battled back to outplay Indy in the second half 59-55 but still fell short 116-122.

Both teams were missing core players with Indy’s three top frontcourt players out including former Thunder big man Domantas Sabonis. as well as Myles Turner and Goga Bitidze.

Recent addition Oshae Brissett stepped up to seize the opportunity. Bjorkgren was familiar with the Canadian who spent time in the development system in Toronto but an injury took him out of the bubble.

OKC was also down several core players; something the team has dealt with since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went out and the franchise fully committed to the tank. In this April 21st outing Luguentz Dort was also sidelined.

In the rematch, it’s likely several of the same players will be out again (see injury update below).

OKC Thunder host decimated Indiana Pacers

Since the Thunder and Pacers last played Indiana is 2-2. The two victories were against lottery teams (Pistons, Magic). That’s been a common trait of this squad even when the team was playing better. Overall Indy is 11-25 versus teams seeded eighth and higher.

At the time, Indy played OKC they held a two-game edge over the WIzards. Nine days later Washington has trimmed that lead to a half-game.

That’s problematic for Indy for a couple of reasons. At first glance, their closing strength of schedule was on the easier side. Only four games of their final 10 were against top-8 seeds.

The greater issue is half of the six unseeded opponents’ feature teams chasing them including two versus the Wizards and the closing night contest versus the Raptors.

It’s conceivable the Wizards win both matches to drop the Wizards to 10th and if the Bulls and/or Raptors also get hot they could close the gap on Indy quickly. Chicago won their series 2-1 while the Raptors split with them and the game on May 16th will determine who gets the tiebreak.

Closing night in Tampa Bay could very well determine who ultimately gets the 10th seed which is something the Pacers surely want to avoid.

Losing their three best big men simultaneously didn’t make matters any easier but Sabonis and Bitidze were upgraded to questionable so help could be on the way.

However, Brogdon had to leave the Nets match with a sore hamstring and if he’s out for any length of time extra pressure will fall upon Caris LeVert and the others who were already doing heaving lifting.

No need to reinvent the wheel on the keys to the match since the teams just played. Click here for Intentions prior preview and keys to the game.

Game Specifics:

Records:

• Thunder: 21-42
• Pacers: 29-33

The Venue:  Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Tipoff:  8:00 PM ET  | 7:00 PM CT

TV: Fox Sports  Oklahoma | NBA League Pass

Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC

Injuries:

Several Indiana Pacers have been upgraded to questionable. References for injuries are pulled from the NBA injury report and Basketball Reference.

OKC Thunder:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains out recovering from plantar fasciitis and with only nine matches remaining it feels unlikely he’ll play again this season
• Luguentz Dort is once again listed as out with his strained hip.
• Mike Muscala is out with an ankle injury.
• Al Horford is a healthy scratch.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Pacers:

• Malcolm Brogdon exited the match versus the Nets due to tightness in his hamstring and is considered questionable.
• Goga Bitadze has missed the last five games (and six of seven) due to a sprained ankle and is questionable for Saturday.
• Jeremy Lamb has been out the last six games due to knee soreness but was upgraded to questionable.
• Domantas Sabonis also missed the last six games with a lower back strain. He’s been upgraded to questionable versus OKC.
• JaKarr Sampson is in the NBA concussion protocol and won’t play Saturday.
• Myles Turner suffered a partial tear to his plantar plate in this big toe and is out.
• T.J. Warren is recovering from surgery to repair a foot stress fracture and out for the season.

History:

This is the final meeting this season between the OKC Thunder and Pacers. The prior meeting occurred at the Fieldhouse on April 21st in one of the more competitive matches of late although Indiana won 122-116.

In 2019-20, the Thunder won both games versus the Pacers and all-time hold a 51-41 advantage in the 92 games played.