NBA Finals rematch to kick off 2025-26 Pacers regular season

INDIANAPOLIS - Coming off a thrilling seven-game NBA Finals series in late June, the Indiana Pacers will face a familiar foe in their first game of the upcoming NBA season.




NBA officials announced on Tuesday that the Pacers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 in a rematch of the NBA Finals series. This game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which is scheduled to air on ESPN, will kick off the Pacers' 2025-26 NBA season.




The reigning Eastern Conference champions lost in the NBA Finals in a series of dramatic games, including Game 7, when Tyrese Haliburton, a point guard for the Indiana Pacers, tore his right Achilles. According to previous reports, Haliburton is not expected to play during the 2025-26 season.

Since the last game of the 2024-25 season, the Indiana Pacers added Kam Jones, a guard from Marquette, and Taelon Peter, a guard from Liberty University, in the NBA Draft. The team also added Jay Huff, a center who previously played for the Memphis Grizzlies, and brought back James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson on new contracts.




In the offseason, the team said goodbye to Myles Turner, the longest-tenured member of the Indiana Pacers, who signed a four-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.




According to the NBA's website, this game is the first one announced as part of the Pacers' 2025-26 season. The Thunder will face the Houston Rockets at home on Oct. 21 to start the season.




The season's full schedule will be announced on Thursday. For more information about the Indiana Pacers, click here.





via: https://fox59.com/sports/pacers/nba-finals-rematch-to-kick-off-2025-26-pacers-regular-season/