The NBA season is tipping off with a tension-filled rematch as the Indiana Pacers host the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in what promises to be a heated start to their 2025 campaign. The Pacers, who fell to the Thunder in last season's nail-biting Game 7, are hitting the hardwood with a score to settle and quite a few voids to fill; key players like Tyrese Haliburton, sidelined for the season with an Achilles tear, and Myles Turner, now with Milwaukee, won't be lacing up for the home side.
Despite the setbacks, including injuries to T.J. McConnell and Quenton Jackson, Pacers' coach Rick Carlisle is rallying his troops for a new chapter—as he put it, according to an interview on WTHR - "We have options, they are just not the most conventional at this moment, but that's alright." Meanwhile, players like Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin, the latter sliding into a starting position, are champing at the bit to get back to action with Nembhard confessing "I'm ready for a new season, I'm ready to get back to hooping," in a mood that's echoed by teammate Mathurin who said, "Super excited, man, super pumped, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight."
Injuries aren't plaguing just the Pacers, though; the Thunder, despite edging out a season-opening win in double overtime against the Houston Rockets with titanic performances by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren—who dropped a combined 63 points—also have a couple of key players uncertain to start. Cason Wallace and Lu Dort have been slapped with the questionable tag, while Jalen Williams remains on the recovery bench and Alex Caruso is navigating the NBA’s concussion protocol; no timetable for his return has been set as per OKC Thunder Wire.
The Pacers have much to prove in the aftermath of their underdog run to the Finals the previous season, their resilience will be put to the test as the team honors last year's Eastern Conference championship triumph ahead of the game; Pacers forward Obi Toppin spoke to the sentiment of the squad, revealing to FOX59, "We are going to take that moment to celebrate everything we did last year," elaborating that after a brief reflection, "we're super proud of that, so we are going to take a couple minutes to admire that, and then get to business after that."
The stage is set for an electrifying season opener, with all eyes on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse where the Pacers and Thunder will lock horns starting at 7:30 p.m. The face-off will be available for fans to catch live on ESPN and the FanDuel Sports Network, ensuring that hoop heads everywhere won't miss a dribble, dunk, or dramatic play as the 2025 NBA season gets underway, and not to mention a rematch of last year's riveting battle for the championship—it's the kind of narrative that keeps the sports world spinning without the need for any sort of metaphorical waxing whatsoever.
