Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith throws down epic dunk over Thunder’s Chet Holmgren

To say that the 2025-26 season hasn’t gone anywhere according to plan for the Indiana Pacers would be the understatement of the century. It’s tempting to think how differently things would have gone for them this year if they didn’t lose Tyrese Haliburton to a ruptured Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. They may have won an NBA title instead of the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Indiana has instead been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season.

Nonetheless, the Pacers always play with a chip on their shoulder, and competing against the Thunder always seems to bring out the best in this rugged squad. On Friday night, the two squared off in a rematch of the 2025 NBA Finals, and the 10-35 Pacers somehow came on top, 117-114, overcoming a 46-point night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Just to put into more perspective just how locked in the Pacers were, Aaron Nesmith threw down a spirited jam over Thunder center Chet Holmgren, putting him on a poster, to extend Indiana’s lead to 12, 105-93, with a little over five minutes remaining in the game.

Aaron Nesmith with the MEAN throwdown

pic.twitter.com/sRD6XsHjbW

— Pacers Nation (@PacersNationCP) January 24, 2026

Nesmith is a prime example of someone who steps up in big games, and he added 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists on the night to aid the Pacers in their winning effort.

Pacers rise against 2025 NBA Finals nemesis Thunder

It was on the first game of the 2025-26 NBA season for the Pacers where it looked like they won’t be as bad they’ve been. After all, they pushed the reigning champion Thunder to overtime despite Haliburton’s absence.

But that seems to be an isolated case of the Pacers simply just rising for their matchup against their NBA Finals nemesis. They proved on Friday night that that wasn’t a one-off. Andrew Nembhard played inspired basketball against OKC, putting up 27-7-11 in the winning effort, while the likes of Jarace Walker, Pascal Siakam, and Micah Potter also played their hearts out.

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