The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers are set to tip off the NBA Finals on Thursday night as the Western and Eastern conference representatives, respectively. This is an interesting NBA Finals as it features two teams with a salary cap below the luxury tax.
The Thunder and the Pacers are proof you can build around a young core and lead them to the Finals. It’s one of the many things that make this Finals matchup intriguing. As the final series of the NBA season gets underway, let’s take a look at the latest injury updates for each team.
Indiana Pacers Injury updates ahead of Game 1 of NBA Finals
PLAYER | INJURY | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
Jarace Walker | Right ankle | OUT (at least 2 games) |
The biggest injury news for the Pacers is that Jarace Walker will most likely miss the first two games of the NBA Finals with an ankle injury, per an ESPN report. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle confirmed Walker would miss some time, but didn’t expand on the severity of his injury.
Walker was injured during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks. He hasn’t been a significant player for the Pacers in the postseason. He’s averaging just four points per game and 13 minutes.
Obviously in the postseason, depth and health are key so losing a solid rotation player isn’t ideal. If he’s out for more than the first two games, it could put additional strain on the starting rotation.
Other than that, the Pacers are healthy coming in, specifically Aaron Nesmith isn’t battling any lingering ankle issues that will keep him out long term. He was a 3-point assassin against the Knicks in Game 1 so having him healthy is huge.
Oklahoma City Thunder Injury updates ahead of Game 1 of NBA Finals
Both the Pacers and the Thunder were able to reach the Finals because of being healthy. Outside of Nikola Topic, who’s been out since January, the Thunder will be fully healthy in Game 1.
I don’t think that will be a big difference with the Pacers down one bench player. This series will hinge on how well the Thunder can contain Tyrese Haliburton. The Thunder are a defensively sound team, specifically against perimeter players.
Haliburton is a true playmaker, averaging 9.8 assists per game. If the Thunder contain him, it will come down to what the rest of the starters can do. If both teams stay relatively healthy this series, it should be as exciting as advertised.