Through 1 Quarter
Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers suffered losses in their previous contests, but OKC is closer to making up for it. It’s anybody’s game after one quarter, but the Thunder are ahead 30-29.
Small forward Luguentz Dort has led the way so far for Oklahoma City, as he has nine points in addition to two rebounds. Indiana has been led by power forward Domantas Sabonis, who so far has six points and four assists along with seven boards and one block.
This is the first time Oklahoma City has been ahead going into the second quarter in the past six games.
Who’s Playing
Indiana @ Oklahoma City
Current Records: Indiana 17-32; Oklahoma City 14-33
What to Know
The Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t won a matchup against the Indiana Pacers since March 27 of 2019, but they’ll be looking to end the drought on Friday. Oklahoma City will take on Indiana at 8 p.m. ET at Paycom Center after having had a few days off. OKC is out to stop a four-game streak of losses at home.
The Thunder were just a bucket short of a win on Monday and fell 111-110 to the Chicago Bulls. One thing holding OKC back was the mediocre play of shooting guard Kenrich Williams, who did not have his best game: he played for 30 minutes but put up just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Meanwhile, the Pacers’ and the Charlotte Hornets’ game on Wednesday was up for grabs at halftime, but Indiana was thoroughly outmatched 87-56 in the second half. Indiana was dealt a punishing 158-126 loss at the hands of Charlotte. Indiana was down 113-94 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Center Goga Bitadze (17 points) and power forward Isaiah Jackson (17 points) were the top scorers for Indiana.
The losses put Oklahoma City at 14-33 and Indiana at 17-32. A pair of stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Oklahoma City has only been able to knock down 41.60% percent of their shots, which is the lowest field goal percentage in the league. The Pacers have experienced some struggles of their own as they have allowed their opponents to shoot 46.80% from the floor on average, which is the fifth highest shooting percentage allowed in the league. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
How To Watch
- When: Friday at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Paycom Center — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- TV: Bally Sports Midwest – Indiana
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $6.00
Odds
The Pacers are a slight 2-point favorite against the Thunder, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Thunder as a 1.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Indiana have won eight out of their last 12 games against Oklahoma City.
- May 01, 2021 – Indiana 152 vs. Oklahoma City 95
- Apr 21, 2021 – Indiana 122 vs. Oklahoma City 116
- Dec 04, 2019 – Indiana 107 vs. Oklahoma City 100
- Nov 12, 2019 – Indiana 111 vs. Oklahoma City 85
- Mar 27, 2019 – Oklahoma City 107 vs. Indiana 99
- Mar 14, 2019 – Indiana 108 vs. Oklahoma City 106
- Dec 13, 2017 – Oklahoma City 100 vs. Indiana 95
- Oct 25, 2017 – Oklahoma City 114 vs. Indiana 96
- Feb 06, 2017 – Indiana 93 vs. Oklahoma City 90
- Nov 20, 2016 – Indiana 115 vs. Oklahoma City 111
- Mar 19, 2016 – Oklahoma City 115 vs. Indiana 111
- Feb 19, 2016 – Indiana 101 vs. Oklahoma City 98
Injury Report for Oklahoma City
- Derrick Favors: Out (Back)
- Vit Krejci: Out (Ankle)
Injury Report for Indiana
- Domantas Sabonis: Game-Time Decision (Ankle)
- Malcolm Brogdon: Out (Achilles)
- T.J. Warren: Out (Foot)
- Myles Turner: Out (Foot)
- T.J. McConnell: Out (Wrist)
