Indiana Pacers Move Up in Power Rankings Deserved After OKC Thunder Victory

The team got revenge on its NBA Finals foe.

Indiana Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle gestures to his team during a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are feeling as good as they have all season long after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last game on the road.

It was only the 11th victory for the Pacers all season long, but it was arguably the game that had the most impact, especially after losing to them in the NBA Finals back in June. The win helped the Pacers move up two spots from No. 29 to 27 in the last power rankings from NBA.com writer John Schuhmann.

"Before Friday, the Pacers were 1-15 on the road against the 17 teams with winning records (the lone victory came in Chicago). But they beat the champs in Oklahoma City on Friday night, getting a career-high 26 points from Jarace Walker," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Pacers will play the Hawks twice this week, finishing their five-game trip in Atlanta on Monday. They were a plus-9 from 3-point range, but were outscored by 38 points inside the arc when they lost the first meeting back in October."

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moves the ball around Indiana Pacers guard/forward Aaron Nesmith. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Pacers Get Slight Boost in Power Rankings

The only teams ranked lower in the power rankings are the Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards, all of whom have struggled mightily all season long.

The Pacers should be better than these teams, but injuries have forced them to share company with some of the worst in the league. That should come in handy with a talented NBA Draft class this summer, but for now, the Pacers are forced to struggle with the trials and tribulations of being a bottom-feeder in the league.

There is one stat the Pacers are performing well in, however. The Pacers have done a good job at limiting teams on the perimeter throughout the season.

"In a three-point win, the Pacers outscored the Thunder by 27 (48-21) from 3-point range. They had one of their better shooting games of the season, but also held Oklahoma City to just 26 attempts (tied for their second fewest of the season) from beyond the arc. The Pacers rank second in opponent 3-point percentage (34.1%) and first in (lowest) opponent 3-point rate (37.5% of opponent shots), and they’ve outscored their opponents by 3.8 points per game from beyond the arc, the league’s seventh-best differential," Schuhmann wrote.

"Of course, the Pacers have still lost a lot of games when they’ve limited their opponents from 3-point range. There have been 13 games where the winning team had five or fewer made 3s, and the Pacers have been the losing team in four of those 13 games. That includes their loss in Philadelphia last Monday, when they outscored the Sixers by 24 points from beyond the arc."

If the Pacers can continue to defend teams well on the 3-point line, they could start winning more games and moving up in the power rankings.