Fresh off the back of a franchise-record victory over the Washington Wizards, the Indiana Pacers visit the PayCom Center to face NBA leaders Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday morning.
Having suffered a 120-114 defeat when the two sides met at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in December, the Pacers will look to get one over the home side and make it three road wins on the trot for the first time since January.
Match preview
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The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to strengthen their position at the top of the NBA Power Rankings as they rolled past the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 at the Paycom Center on Friday morning.
Off the back of a 32-point display against the Sacramento Kings, MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show as he knocked down 37 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the field while Jalen Williams tallied 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes.
OKC have picked up eight wins from their last eight outings — seeing off fellow playoff contenders like the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks — a run stretching back to a 140-127 defeat against conference rivals Denver Nuggets.
Mark Daigneault's men are now three victories away from a 29-year franchise record for total wins in an NBA season as they comfortably sit top of the Western Conference standings with a 61-12 record from their 73 matches so far, 13 games above second-played Houston Rockets.
Next up for the Oklahoma City Thunder is the challenge of an opposing side who have won four of their most recent five visits to the PayCom Center since December 2019, with a 126-106 defeat in January 2023 being the exception.
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On the other hand, it was a historic night for the Indiana Pacers who obliterated the Washington Wizards when the two sides met at the Capital One Arena on Friday morning to set several franchise and NBA records.
The Pacers broke their franchise record for points in Washington as they beat the Wizards 162-109 to finish with the most points made by an NBA side this term while also setting a new team record for most 3-pointers made (27).
Nine players finished in double digits for Indiana, who shot lights out from the field (64% FG), led by Tyrese Haliburton, who knocked down 29 points, six assists and two rebounds, while 21-year-old Jarace Walker tallied 16-5-5 off the bench.
This came a little over 24 hours after Rick Carlisle's men suffered a gut-wrenching 120-119 defeat against the Los Angeles Lakers at the buzzer courtesy of a tip-in from LeBron James, who broke Michael Jordan's record to become m the oldest player in NBA history to hit a game-winning buzzer-beater.
The Indiana Pacers have put together a run of eight wins from their last 10 outings, which has seen them improve to a 43-30 record for the season and move into fourth-place in the Eastern Conference standings, two wins behind third-played New York Knicks.
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Team News
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The Oklahoma City Thunder remain without several players down the spine of the team as Alex Ducas (quadriceps), Ousmane Dieng (calf) and Aaron Wiggins (Achilles) are all recuperating from injuries.
While Serbian guard Nikola Topic has been sidelined for the remainder of the season through a severe knee problem, the 19-year-old has returned to light shooting training.
Jaylin Williams and Alex Caruso were both forged off midway through the game against the Grizzlies last time out through hip and back problems respectively but could return to the fray on Sunday.
The Indiana Pacers remain without the services of 22-year-old forward Isaiah Jackson, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn Achilles back in November.
Barring any late fitness issues, Jackson is the only guaranteed absentee for the Pacers for Sunday's clash, giving Carlisle the luxury of a relatively full house at his disposal.
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting 5:
Williams, Dort, Hartenstein, Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander
Indiana Pacers possible starting 5:
Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Turner, Siakam
We say: The Oklahoma City Thunder to win by 5+ points.
With the thrill from their emphatic victory in Washington still in the air, a spirited Indiana Pacers side will fancy themselves to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder who are currently firing on all cylinders. However, we predict the Thunder will make the most of their home-court advantage and send Carlisle's side crashing back down to earth on Sunday.
Joshua Ojele
