Thunder Hold Off Pacers in Tight 114-112 Victory
The Oklahoma City Thunder edged the Indiana Pacers 114 to 112 in an NBA contest on October 14th, 2026. By then, both sides had already played 82 games in the season, though the standings told a stark story. The Thunder sat top of the table with 64 wins and 18 defeats, while the Pacers languished in 14th place with just 19 victories.
What made this one worth noting was the closeness. The hosts were caught in possession in stretches, but they kept their heads when it mattered. The Pacers had built a 20-point lead at one stage, yet the Thunder never let them out of sight. And here's the thing — the game came down to the final possessions.
The statistics paint a picture of two very different approaches. Both teams hit 14 three-pointers and 43 field goals, but the Pacers dominated the boards with 63 rebounds to Oklahoma City's 39. Indiana pulled down 19 offensive rebounds and scored 21 second-chance points, while the Thunder relied on their defense with 14 steals and five blocks.
The Thunder's perimeter shooting kept them in this. They converted 14 of 39 three-point attempts, while their opponents managed the same ratio from 47 attempts. Fast break points told another story — Oklahoma City scored 16 compared to Indiana's 11, but turnovers told the rest of the tale. The Pacers coughed up the ball 28 times, while the Thunder turned it over 16 times.
Both sides committed 25 personal fouls and each received two technical fouls. The Thunder took 21 free throws and made 14, while the Pacers attempted 17 and converted 12. Points in the paint were nearly even — 44 to 48 — but points off turnovers swung things the other way, 33 to 17 in favour of the hosts.
This result did little to change either team's trajectory. The Thunder held on at the summit of the standings, extending a season that has already seen them win 64 games. The Pacers remained rooted in 14th place, their 19 wins a long way from the play-off picture. And here's the thing — it was another narrow one for Oklahoma City. They had lost their previous three meetings — to Atlanta, Milwaukee and New Orleans — all by single figures. This felt like a different kind of game.
