The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder are welcoming the Indiana Pacers to Paycom Center Saturday night in what promises to be an exciting interconference clash.
OKC enters as heavy 10-point favorites on their home court, where they’ve been nearly unbeatable this season.
Both teams are riding hot streaks heading into this matchup, with playoff positioning on the line as the regular season winds down.
Indiana Pacers (43-30) visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (61-13) tonight at 8 p.m. ET, with the game available on NBA League Pass and streaming free on Jazz Sports.
The Thunder are absolutely dominating at home this season with a stunning 32-5 record.
They’re also in the middle of an eight-game winning streak that has fans dreaming of history. OKC could potentially become just the third team ever to reach 70 wins in a season, joining the legendary 2015-16 Warriors and 1995-96 Bulls.
To hit that mark, they’d need to win every remaining game.
Indiana isn’t exactly struggling, though. The Pacers have won eight of their last ten games and are playing some of their best basketball of the season.
They’re currently holding the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, sandwiched between the Knicks and Pistons in the standings.
Tyrese Haliburton has been on fire lately. He dropped 29 points and hit 7 three-pointers in Thursday’s game against Washington.
That game was something special – the Pacers set a franchise record with 162 points and knocked down 27 three-pointers, just two shy of the NBA record.
The injury report could impact tonight’s strategies. Indiana will be without Bennedict Mathurin (calf) and Isaiah Jackson (out for season with Achilles injury).
The Thunder have their own health concerns with Aaron Wiggins, Alex Ducas, Ousmane Dieng, and Cason Wallace all ruled out. Alex Caruso and Jaylin Williams are questionable, while Nikola Topic remains out for the season with an ACL tear.
These teams met earlier this season on December 26th in Indianapolis, with the Thunder squeezing out a 120-114 win. OKC’s ball security was the difference maker – they forced 11 turnovers while committing just three of their own, leading to a 17-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Pacers have actually had OKC’s number recently, winning 8 of their last 11 meetings.
But the Thunder have been nearly untouchable at Paycom Center lately, winning 12 of their last 14 home games.
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives Oklahoma City a 74.4% chance of winning tonight’s contest.
 host the Indiana Pacers (43-30) as 10-point favorites in Saturday's interconference matchup, available via free live stream on Jazz Sports.){kind=link}