Thunder vs. Pacers Prediction and Odds for December 26: Christmas Hangover In Indy?

The Oklahoma City Thunder (23-25) will visit the Indiana Pacers (15-15) for a post-Christmas competition on Thursday.

Both teams were among the best in the league last year. While the Thunder continued and improved that level of play, the Pacers are struggling to break above .500 and have been nowhere near as potent as they were during their surprising campaign a year ago. 

Here, we will analyze the odds and share our favorite Thunder vs. Pacers betting picks.

Thunder vs. Pacers Betting Odds for Thursday, December 26

The Thunder are 17-10-2 (63 percent) against the spread, 9-4-1 (69.2 percent) ATS on the road, and 16-10-2 (61.5 percent) ATS as a favorite.

The Pacers are 13-16-1 (44.8 percent) ATS, 5-6-1 (45.5 percent) ATS at home, and 8-5 (61.5 percent) ATS as an underdog.

Odds for the Thunder vs. Pacers game are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Head over to BetMGM to place your bets and claim up to $1,500 in bonus bets* with our promo code WSNSPORTS.

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Thunder vs. Pacers Prediction

Oklahoma City Thunder Preview

The Thunder have a valid claim to make that they are the best team in the NBA. Their superb record was coupled by an appearance in the In-Season Tournament final and has mostly been achieved without Chet Holmgren, their second-best player who was lost to injury.

OKC deals the majority of its damage on the defensive end of the court. They posted a defensive rating of 102.9, by far the best in the league and 2.5 points ahead of the second-place Houston Rockets.

OKC also recently climbed to seventh in offensive rating, resulting in a net rating of 11.9 that is not only the best in the league, but the second-best in NBA history, trailing only the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

One of the most impressive components of the Thunder’s success is that they have been able to consistently win games despite being one of the smallest teams in the league and in lieu of their three-ball. Whereas they led the league and shot 38.9 percent from three a year ago, they are 19th and made just 34.9 percent of their triples this season.

Isaiah Hartenstein made the Thunder a much more competitive team on the glass as their only healthy center. They still have the third-worst rebound rate in the league overall, but they’re up to 15th in December.

As great as he’s been, there’s only one superstar in OKC: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 26-year-old averaged 30.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.6 rebounds on 51 percent shooting and dropped 41 points against the Washington Wizards in his last outing on Monday.

OKC’s road net rating is less than two points below its home rating, so it won’t be all that bothered by going on the road on Thursday, especially with a few days of rest.

Indiana Pacers Preview

The Pacers last year rose the prominence with their breakneck offense that nearly set an all-time record for efficiency. Their defense was the worst in the league for a long period, which is one of the reasons they acquired Pascal Siakam in a trade with the Toronto Raptors and tinkered with their rotation at different points.

There’s been regression to the mean on both fronts for indy. They’re 11th in offensive rating and 20th in defensive rating, resulting in them being outscored by 1.5 points per 100 possessions by their opponents.

The worrying part for the Pacers is that they cannot thrive without their offense being one of the clear-cut best in the league. So, the question is if they will find a way to recapture their glory of a year ago that saw them go on a shocking run to the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

The answer will be no if Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t improve his game. His averages dropped from 20.1 points, 10.9 assists and 36.4 percent three-point shooting to 17.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 35.5 percent shooting from last year to this one.

The team also struggled to generate as many threes as they did a year ago, and they’re only 18th in makes per game despite shooting at a 37.6 percent clip (seventh).

They, like the Thunder, also struggle on the glass and are 27th in rebound rate. They’re 10th in offensive and 12th in defensive efficiency in December, though that only resulted in them going 6-4 and ranking 11th in net rating.

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Thunder vs. Pacers Betting Pick

• Thunder vs. Pacers pick: Thunder -4.5 (-115) at BetMGM

To the Pacers’ credit, they are 8-4 at home. However, that did not result in them finding success against the spread, which is all we are about in this instance.

The Thunder have been the best team and second-best road team in the sport. They won eight of their last nine games with the only exception being in the final of the NBA Cup, and this is a rare occasion in which they won’t be at a decided disadvantage on the boards.

We’re going to need to see more from the Pacers to have belief in them against one of the best teams in basketball. Take the Thunder laying the points.

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How to Watch Thunder vs. Pacers on 12/26/24

• When: Thursday, December 26 @ 7:00 p.m. ET

• Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

• TV: NBA TV

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