As expected, the Indiana Pacers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, 132-111. The Pacers have been hot since the All-Star Break, going 13-8 over that stretch, but the Thunder are the best team in the league, dominating in ways not seen since the peak of the Golden State Warriors dynasty.
Still, in order for the Pacers to rattle off their second straight deep playoff run, they will have to beat teams that are better than them. In order to make the Conference Finals, Indiana will have to beat either the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers. In order to make a shocking Finals bid, they will have to beat both, unless a different team somehow knocks them off.
Still, if the Pacers have to lose, doing it in the regular season with a comfortable one-game lead over the Detroit Pistons for fourth place isn't a bad time to do it.
The Thunder shot the Pacers out of the gym, but Indiana didn't help its effort, turning the ball over 11 times. Five of those came in the second quarter, when the Thunder took the lead they would never give up.
"We had some trouble with turnovers and untimely poor possessions," said Rick Carlisle. "That got them going downhill, and that led to the majority of our problems."
Carlise went on to compare the matchup to a "playoff game" since the Thunder have been playing with that level of intensity all season.
"If you want to play a playoff game at the end of March, this is the formula," he continued. "You come to play these guys. When Hartenstein went out at halftime, now you gotta deal with their speed."
Related: Rick Carlisle Details How Pacers Had to Deal With Overlooked Star
Last year, the aptly-named Pacers were the second-fastest team in the league. This season, they are ninth and the Thunder simply run and gun faster.
Indiana will have a day off on Sunday before taking on the Sacramento Kings on Monday in Indianapolis.
Check out the All Pacers homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
Related: Pacers Face Pivotal Trade Decision Before Myles Turner's Free Agency
Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 1:27 PM.