Pacers Set for Season Tip-Off in Finals Rematch with Thunder

The Indiana Pacers won’t just open their 2025–26 campaign — they’ll storm right into a thunderclap. On October 23rd, the Blue and Gold welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a nationally televised rematch of last season’s epic NBA Finals.

Indiana, the reigning Eastern Conference champs, will enter this season without floor general Tyrese Haliburton, who is sidelined for the year with an Achilles injury. But the Pacers have retooled the roster with young lightning bolts like rookies Kam Jones and Taelon Peter, plus frontcourt reinforcements Jay Huff, James Wiseman, and Isaiah Jackson.

It’s the first announced game of the Pacers’ new schedule, and there’s no doubt the Fieldhouse will be buzzing like a playoff night. The Blue and Gold faithful will get their first look at a team hungry to prove they can still run with the NBA’s elite — and perhaps shock the league once again when the postseason rolls around.