The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers revisit their matchup in last spring’s NBA Finals with an early-season showdown Thursday night in Indianapolis. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage on ESPN and streaming on-demand.
How to watch Thunder vs. Pacers on TV and stream without cable:
When: Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming on:FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV (free trial) | SlingTV (50% off first month) | ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/mo.)
Thunder vs. Pacers: The matchup
The defending champion Thunder got off to a winning start in 2025-’26 with a double-overtime thriller of a 125-124 victory over the Houston Rockets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did his usual work with 35 points on 12-of-26 shooting and 14 trips to the free throw line and found a scoring complement in forward Chet Holmgren, who dropped 28 points. Pressure defense also played a role as OKC forced 22 Rockets turnovers to offset a monster day from forward Alperen Sengun, who finished with 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
See also:More NBA coverage on PennLive
For the Pacers, Thursday night’s contest marks their season opener after their surprising run to the 2025 NBA Finals. Guard Tyrese Haliburton once again spearheads a Pacers team built on deep contributions from up and down their lineup. Seven players averaged double figures a year ago, not including sparkplug reserve T.J. McConnell and his 9.1 points in 17.9 minutes per night. The Pacers finished fourth in the Eastern Conference last season with a 50-32 record and tore through the Bucks, Cavaliers and Knicks on their way to the NBA Finals.
Thunder vs. Pacers: Know your live streams
FuboTV (free trial) - FuboTV scores high marks for viewer experience with a huge library of live sports; the monthly rate after trial starts at $54.99 with a $30 off promotion. ESPN Unlimited included free in the base plan. NFL Red Zone available on SportsPlus ($74.99 first month with promotion).
DirecTV (free trial) - First month after the 5-day free trial starts as low as $49.99 with current $35 off promotion. ESPN Unlimited and NFL Red Zone included with add-on packages and sports plans. Genre Packs and other lower-priced alternatives are available, some of which come with free gift cards.
SlingTV (low intro rate) - Sling’s half-price offer is perfect for those in the market for 1+ month of TV;.monthly plans start at just $29.99 with the introductory rate. A comparison of plans, including daily and weekly passes, can be found here.
ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/mo.) - ESPN has a new, standalone package that includes ABC broadcasts, all of ESPN’s sports channels, and access to ESPN+. For a limited time, ESPN can be bundled with Disney Plus and Hulu for $29.99 per month. This package is included free in select FuboTV and DirecTV plans, along with other TV providers.
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