The Indiana Pacers are set to meet the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, and even in the preseason there’s some baggage attached to this one. The two teams have met before on the biggest stage, and the Pacers came up short to the Thunder in the Finals two years ago.
That loss still lingers for Indiana, even if the matchup itself has changed a lot since then. The Pacers’ roster from that series is not the same group that has shown up in their two regular-season games against Oklahoma City last year. Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the Finals, and other major pieces from that team have also moved on.
Bennedict Mathurin was traded as part of the deal for Ivica Zubac and is now a New Orleans Pelican. Lu Dort, a massive part of the Thunder's rebuilding era, is also now an Atlanta Hawk. These are teams that know each other in theory more than they do in practice.
The emotional edge also doesn’t cut both ways. The Thunder don’t have the same animosity towards the Pacers that the Pacers do towards their Oklahoman opponents. After all, the Thunder won.
Still, even if this is only preseason, a win over the team that represents so much of what has gone wrong for Indiana in this era would mean something.
Two years after that Finals meeting, the franchises have moved in opposite directions. Indiana spent a year away from winning basketball while injuries thinned out the roster, then made its move for Zubac. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, is rolling forward with much of the same group it had last season, when it lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and missed out on a repeat shot.
The difference in team-building is just as stark. The Pacers used their first-round pick from their rebuilding year in the deal for Zubac, sacrificing a chance to add another young player to stretch this core’s contending window. The Thunder have taken the other road entirely, stockpiling picks until they could use two mid first-rounders on Michigan Center Aday Mara and rookie point guard Bennett Stirtz.
It is draft versus trade. One approach has already produced a title with its core, and the other is still trying to cash in.
Even so, Indiana may have the stronger starting five right now. Moves have brought in players like Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, and Zubac at a relatively low cost. The issue is what comes after that, and depth will be the real test in this game.
That part of the roster will be under the microscope Tuesday, and Indiana will hope to Jarace Walker that its second unit is not as thin as it has looked.
Both teams enter the season with championship ambitions, and a Finals rematch is at least something to imagine.
In Other News...
Kelly Oubre's Pacers Fit Could Matter Sooner Than Expected
Kelly Oubre Jr. may have signed on for the 2026-27 season, but his fit in Indiana is already coming into focus during the preseason. The Pacers have been working him into their up-tempo style, and both Rick Carlisle and Pascal Siakam have spoken positively about the wings versatility and the ways he can complement what Indiana wants to do.
His role took on a little more urgency in the second preseason game, when Oubre was asked to step into a larger spot in the lineup as the Pacers continued sorting out rotation looks. It was another small sign that Indiana may not need to wait long to see how his length, energy and adaptability translate, especially if the team has to make quick adjustments early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Put Real Pressure On Ivica Zubac With This Trade
The Pacers made a meaningful bet on their frontcourt last season when they brought in Ivica Zubac from the Clippers, a move built around adding size, rebounding and defense to support a roster led by Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. The idea was simple enough: give Indiana a steadier interior presence and make the group better equipped for the kind of postseason games where possessions tighten and the paint matters more than ever.
Zubacs early run in Indiana offered a brief look at what the team hoped to get from him, with five games of solid production before the bigger questions around the deal came into focus. The trade also carried a real cost for the Pacers, since their 2026 first-rounder ended up going to Los Angeles after the protections on the pick did not hold, raising the stakes on whether this front office gamble turns into a long-term benefit. [Read more 🡒]
Pascal Siakam Gets An Early Shot At A Team Pacers Fans Haven't Forgotten
Pascal Siakam is getting an early chance to see a familiar kind of opponent when the Pacers meet the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team and organization that still carries some baggage for Indiana fans. The matchup gives Siakam a preseason stage to work against one of the NBAs most intriguing young cores while the Pacers continue sorting out their own identity before the games start counting.
For Indiana, this is more than just another exhibition. The Thunder bring the kind of athletic, disruptive defense that can expose early-season issues, and Siakam figures to spend plenty of time navigating that challenge against Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. After earlier preseason tests and with the regular-season opener looming, it is the kind of matchup that can reveal where the Pacers are ahead of a tougher stretch. [Read more 🡒]