24
Oct
Aussies in the NBA
Furphy, Pacers fall to OKC in epic Finals rematch
Johnny Furphy #12 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on October 11, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Indiana's second-year Aussie only tasted late court time after injuring his ankle in preseason
- Johnny Furphy only played one minute in Indiana's 141-135 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the 2025 NBA Finas
- Furphy was in doubt for Indiana's season opener after suffering an ankle injury in the preseason
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 55 points for the Thunder
Second-year Aussie Johnny Furphy and the Indiana Pacers had a familiar feeling after their season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, falling in double overtime to the defending champions 141-135 in a rematch of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Furphy was in doubt in the lead-up to Indiana's home opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after suffering an ankle injury against the Thunder in a pre-season match on October 11 but was cleared a day before the game.
It didn't matter much as the Melbourne-born product only played one minute late in the contest and had to watch last season's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, put on an offensive clinic with 55 points to lead OKC to their second-straight victory to start their campaign.
Furphy had to wait 57 minutes to hit the court for the first time.
A 32-22 second quarter had the Thunder leading by seven at halftime before the Pacers won both the third and fourth periods to force overtime. OKC looked as though they were going to get it done in the first period of extra time but Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin made a step-through layup on Gilgeous-Alexander to send the game into a second overtime.
But as he did in their own season opener against the Houston Rockets, Gilgeous-Alexander came up clutch in the second overtime to help OKC escape Indiana with a four-point win. Gilgeous-Alexander went 15-from-31 from the field but took an incredible 26 free-throws and made 23 of them to reach the 50-point mark in just the second game of the season.
Ajay Mitchell also had 26 points off the bench for the visitors.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers in scoring with 36 points and 11 rebounds while Pascal Siakam had 32 points and 15 rebounds.
It was a rough start to the season for Furphy, who was expected to have earned a bigger role with the Pacers this season, given the injuries to Tyrese Haliburton and TJ McConnell and also following his impressive performance in the Summer League and pre-season games.
Furphy and the Pacers next face Jock Landale and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at 11am (AEDT).
