The Thunder’s preseason rolls on Tuesday night with a home date against the Indiana Pacers, and this one comes with a more game-ready look for Oklahoma City.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Fans in the local TV markets can find the game on KSBI-52 in Oklahoma City and KQCW-19 in Tulsa. It will also stream on Thunder+.
This is the fourth of five preseason games for an OKC team that has opened 0-3. The roster has changed plenty since the summer, with Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe traded away and rookies Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz, Otega Oweh and Josh Dix added to the mix.
The Thunder also kept its returning rotational players out of Monday’s road loss to Atlanta. Head coach Mark Daigneault said that move was made so those players would be ready for Indiana, and if that holds true tonight, Oklahoma City should be in a stronger spot. The roster brings together high-end shot creation, strong defense and rookies who are already settling into preseason form.
Justin Martinez picked OKC to win 117-111.
The expected Thunder starters are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Indiana’s projected starters are Andrew Nembhard, Kelly Oubre Jr., Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac.
OKC’s preseason roster includes Brooks Barnhizer, Alex Caruso, Josh Dix, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Andrew Holifield, Chet Holmgren, Aday Mara, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Otega Oweh, Anthony Pritchard, Zhaire Smith, Thomas Sorber, Bennett Stirtz, Christoph Tilly, Nikola Topić, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams.
The Thunder’s preseason slate has already included losses to the Pelicans on Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Bucks on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and the Hawks on Monday, Oct. 12. After Tuesday’s matchup with Indiana, Oklahoma City closes the exhibition schedule Thursday, Oct. 15 at Houston on NBA TV.
In Other News...
Thunder Rookies Are Giving OKC Fans Something Real To Debate
The Thunders preseason trip to Atlanta gave Oklahoma City another reminder that the young talent is already part of the conversation, even if the results are still coming up short. In a 113-110 loss to the Hawks, the Thunder fell to 0-3 in the preseason, but the bigger takeaway for fans was how much the rookies kept showing up in the box score. Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara were among the young players driving the offense and filling up other categories, giving the night a different feel than a routine October loss.
For a team with plenty of eyes on its developmental pipeline, performances like this can turn a preseason game into an early debate about who is ready now and who is still a little further away. Oklahoma City will get another chance to sort through those impressions in its next preseason game, a home matchup against Indiana, where the rookies should have another opportunity to make the case that they belong in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Just Got A Clearer Look At Daigneaults Roster Role
Mark Daigneaults place in the Thunders front office puzzle got a little clearer this week, and it helps explain how Oklahoma City has managed to keep so much continuity while still making aggressive roster moves. The head coach said his input matters in the conversation, but the final calls on personnel still belong to Sam Presti, which is the kind of arrangement that makes sense for a franchise trying to balance coaching perspective with a long-view roster plan.
Daigneaults comments arrive at a time when the league keeps offering reminders of how much the human side of roster building matters, from locker-room fit to players choosing stability over a fresh start. For the Thunder, the bigger takeaway is not just who gets brought in or moved out, but how the organization sorts through those decisions with a coach who is clearly part of the discussion without being the one holding the pen. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder's Unexpected Skid Is Testing Patience Even Before Opening Night
The Thunder have spent the months since their playoff run doing something they never wanted to carry into October: losing, and losing often. The skid has stretched across the end of the postseason, Summer League and preseason, with Oklahoma City dropped into an awkward run of results even as the roster has mostly been without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Mark Daigneault has leaned into the teaching side of it, because the minutes have gone to younger and less experienced players who are trying to learn on the fly. The latest preseason loss fit that mold, and while the record has been ugly, the staff is treating these games less as a referendum on the Thunders ceiling and more as a chance to sort through the edges before opening night arrives. [Read more 🡒]