The Indiana Pacers will be looking to secure a sixth win on the bounce when they welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena on Friday.
Having lost each of the last three regular-season meetings between the teams, OKC will head into this one seeking to get one over the hosts and secure a fourth consecutive win since their 2024 NBA Cup final heartbreak.
Match preview
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The Indiana Pacers wrapped up their three-game road swing in style as they saw off a late comeback attempt from the Golden State Warriors to secure a 111-105 victory at Chase Center on Christmas Eve.
With Stephen Curry going 2-of-13 from the field and enduring another cold shooting night, Jonathan Kuminga knocked down a season-high 26 off the bench to put the Warriors two points up with 5:07 left in the fourth quarter having trailed by as many as 12 points in the third.
However, Myles Turner tallied a team-high 23 points, including a dagger 3-pointer with just 17 seconds on the shot clock to put Indiana five points up and give them breathing space as they secured a second win in two games against Steve Kerr's side since March.
With their Boxing Day triumph, the Pacers have now picked up five back-to-back victories for the first time since January — four of which have come on their travels — having lost five of the six matches preceding this run.
This upturn in form has seen Rick Carlisle's men surge into eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 0.5 winning percentage, having picked up 15 wins and lost 15 of their 30 matches so far.
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Over in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder maintained their lead at the top of the conference power rankings as they secured a 123-105 blowout victory over the Washington Wizards at the Paycom Center on Boxing Day.
It was back and forth between the two sides, with OKC leading by just four points heading into the fourth quarter, but the Wizards let go of the rope in the final period, going on a 2-19 run to start the fourth quarter as they suffered a 21st defeat in 23 games and a 12th on on the road.
Despite Jordan Poole dropping 31 points for the Wizards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the headlines at the Paycom Center as he knocked down 41 on 56% shooting — his second 40-point game this season — including a perfect 10 of 10 from the foul line.
The Thunder have picked up three wins on the trot since their 97-81 defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks in last Wednesday's NBA Cup final, and have put together a run of eight victories from their most recent nine matches since December 4.
This impressive run has seen Mark Daigneault's men improve to a 23-5 record to lead the way at the top of the Western Conference standings, three wins more than second-placed Houston Rockets having played one game fewer.
While Oklahoma head into Friday's clash seeking a fifth away victory on the spin, they go up against an opposing side who have won each of their most recent three regular-season encounters, including a 126-112 victory on April 6.
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Team News
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The Indiana Pacers remain without 23-year-old center James Wiseman, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season having undergone surgery over an Achilles injury back in October.
Isaiah Jackson also sustained a torn Achilles back in November and the 22-year-old forward is also set to miss the season as he continues his long road to full fitness.
Aaron Nesmith has been out of action since coming off with an ankle injury against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 2 and the forward will also play no part in Friday's clash.
As for the Oklahoma City Thunder, they remain without several players down the spine of the team as Adam Flagler (metacarpal), Nikola Topic (ACL) and key forward Chet Holmgren (hip) continue their spells on the sidelines.
Alex Ducas has been ruled out through a back injury, while Alex Caruso is a doubt after being forced into the locker room due to an injury in the fourth quarter against the Wizards last time out.
Following his standout display in the aforementioned game, Gilgeous-Alexander has now moved into third place in the league scoring chart, with an average of 30.6 point per game, only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.7) and Nicola Jokic (30.9).
Indiana Pacers possible starting 5:
Haliburton, Nembhard, Mathurin, Siakam, Turner
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting 5:
Joe, Dort, Hartenstein, Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander
We say: Oklahoma City Thunder to win by 5+ points.
The Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder have put together a fine run of results in recent weeks and head into Friday's clash as two of the most in-form sides in the league. While we anticipate a thrilling matchup at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena, we predict that OKC will do just enough to see off the home team.
Joshua Ojele
