The Pacers have some schedule advantages. Due to Indiana’s central location with division foes (Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, and Milwaukee) and proximity to East Coast teams, the Pacers will travel the fewest miles in the NBA – only 35,346 miles. Twenty teams travel more than 40,000 miles. The Pacers are also tied with five other teams for having the lowest number of back-to-back games in the league – just 13 instances.
The first 10 games are gonna be tough for the Pacers. They open against the defending champ Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Finals rematch. Seven of their first 10 games are against 2025 postseason clubs. There’s a notable matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks where they’ll face former center Myles Turner for the first time.
From January 17 through February 20, the Pacers’ schedule is kinda weird with two lengthy road trips, multiple back-to-backs, and a homestand in between with tough opponents. Nine of the Pacers’ games will be on National TV, including the home opener vs. the Thunder. Some games will air on Amazon Prime or Peacock.
The Pacers play four preseason games against Western Conference teams before the regular season starts on October 23.