The Golden State Warriors visit the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, November 1, 2025 in a primetime clash that pairs a veteran core with a short-handed finalist trying to find its first win of the season.
Tipoff and how to watch
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Date: Saturday, Nov 1, 2025
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Tip: 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. CT / 4:00 p.m. PT)
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TV: National broadcast plus local regional channels in the Bay Area and Indiana
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Streaming: Available via authenticated provider apps and the league’s out-of-market subscription service
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Radio: Team flagship stations in both markets carry full coverage and postgame shows
Injury report at a glance
Pacers (depleted):
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Tyrese Haliburton — out (Achilles)
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Andrew Nembhard — out (ankle)
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T.J. McConnell — out (hamstring)
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Bennedict Mathurin — out (shoulder)
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Obi Toppin — out (foot surgery, months)
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Johnny Furphy — day to day (foot)
Active pillars: Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, plus a mix of young guards and two-way depth.
Warriors:
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De’Anthony Melton — out (ACL recovery)
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Alex Toohey — out (knee)
Rotation otherwise intact, led by Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and shooting depth on the wings.
Why this game matters
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Golden State’s stamina test: This is game 7 in 11 days for the Warriors. Managing legs while protecting fourth-quarter execution is the night’s subtext.
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Indiana’s reset attempt: The Pacers are winless and ravaged by injuries. They’ve competed but struggled to close; a home breakthrough would stabilize the week.
Three matchups to watch
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Stephen Curry vs. Indiana’s point-of-attack committee
Expect traps and top-locks to deny handoffs. If Curry shakes loose via staggers and ghost screens early, Golden State’s offense opens, and Draymond Green feasts on short-roll playmaking. -
Pascal Siakam’s elbow touches vs. Warriors’ help
Indiana will play through Siakam at the nail and mid-post. Golden State typically shows early digs, then scrambles to corners. The Pacers’ spot-up accuracy against those rotations will decide long stretches. -
Bench minutes = leverage
With the Warriors’ schedule load and the Pacers’ injuries, second-unit stretches could swing the game. Brandin Podziemski/Moses Moody holding serve (or winning) against Indiana’s reserve guards sets the closing table.
Keys for each side
Warriors
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Control pace: Run off misses, walk it up after makes; don’t let fatigue fuel live-ball turnovers.
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Win the math: Threes + free throws must outpace Indiana’s mid-range diet without bleeding transition.
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Gang rebound: When small, treat every defensive board as a five-man job.
Pacers
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Paint first, spray second: Collapse the defense through Siakam drives and duck-ins, then kick to Nesmith/Furphy.
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Protect the ball: Golden State’s runouts are where games get away. Simple is fine—value possessions.
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Foul game: Attack closeouts to draw whistles and thin the Warriors’ preferred closing lineup.
Form snapshot
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Warriors: Enter above .500 with strong starting-unit metrics but variable late-game shot quality on tired legs.
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Pacers: 0–5, competitive for stretches but short on creation and rim deterrence with so many guards shelved.
What a winning script looks like
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Golden State: Third-quarter burst, single-digit turnovers, Curry + one role player (Kuminga/Podziemski) popping for double figures.
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Indiana: Siakam at 25+ with efficient helpers, single-digit live-ball giveaways, and a +6 free-throw edge to keep it in clutch time.
Short-handed or not, the Pacers will scrap. If Golden State protects the ball and survives the bench stints, the veterans should close it. If Indiana drags this into a one-possession final two minutes, home-court noise makes every decision—and every rebound—heavy.
