Pacers Push Thunder to the Brink, Cover Comfortably in OKC's Narrow Escape

The Pacers walked into Paycom Center and nearly stole a road win, falling just short 114-112 but sailing past the 9.5-point spread we backed. DarkHorse called this one cold: when you're laying double digits in a preseason tune-up and your entire rotation is wrapped in bubble wrap, you're begging to get backdoored. Oklahoma City's injury report read like a hostage list—SGA, both Williams brothers, Holmgren, Hartenstein, the whole gang sitting or limited—and Indiana made them pay for the hubris.

The Thunder squeaked out the win on whatever camp arms and two-way fliers they could muster, but a two-point margin is laughable when the market wanted you to believe in a near-10-point cushion. Indiana, missing only the injured Furphy and a day-to-day McConnell, had actual NBA bodies running sets while OKC played roster roulette. The Pacers didn't just cover—they nearly won outright, which tells you everything about how paper-thin that 9.5 really was.

This is why you don't chase star power in exhibitions when the stars aren't even lacing up. Pacers +9.5 cashes easy, and if you laid the chalk here, you got exactly what you deserved: a sweat you never needed.