They both reached the finals last season! The Thunder ranked first in the league with 13 wins and 1 loss, and the Pacers ranked first in the league with 1 wins and 12 losses.

The Thunder defeated the Hornets 109-96 in an away game today, winning five consecutive games and bringing their record to 13 wins and 1 loss. They continue to rank first in the Western Conference and first in the league. Alexander also performed very well, playing only 29 minutes in the three quarters, making 13 of 19 shots, 3 of 4 three-pointers, 4 of 5 free throws, and scored 33 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals.

It is worth mentioning that Alexander has played in 14 games so far this season and has scored 30+ points 12 times. In addition, 8 games were played in three quarters, and 7 of them played for less than 30 minutes. Throughout last season, Alexander only scored 30 points in 7 games with less than 30 minutes of playing time. However, this season he has only played 14 games and has already tied this record. This shows how hot Alexander is.

It is precisely because Alexander still plays at MVP level that the Thunder's record is so outstanding. So far, they have only lost one game to the Trail Blazers, and that was in back-to-back games. In this game, the Thunder once led by 22 points, but were unfortunately reversed by the Trail Blazers and lost by two points. If they hadn't lost this game, the Thunder would have won 14 consecutive games at the start of the season, only one game away from the Cavaliers' 15-game winning streak at the start of last season.

The defending champion Thunder are currently performing very well, while the other team that reached the Finals last season is currently in a very bad situation. The Pacers suffered a 111-129 defeat to the Raptors at home today and have suffered a 7-game losing streak. And in the next game, the Pacers will also face the Pistons, who rank first in the Eastern Conference and have won 9 consecutive victories. The Pacers not only suffered a 7-game losing streak, but also suffered disastrous defeats in the past 5 games, with a net loss of 15+ in all games. This is the first time in their team history.

The Pacers currently have a record of only 1 win and 12 losses, and only unexpectedly defeated the Warriors once. If they fail to defeat the Warriors, the Pacers will suffer a 13-game losing streak at the beginning. The 1 win and 12 losses in the start also created the worst record in the team's first 13 games, breaking the record of 1 win and 11 losses in the start of the 1988-89 season. The Pacers are currently ranked last in the league, which is in sharp contrast to the Thunder's record. It can be said to be a world of difference.

It is worth mentioning that the Pacers almost won the championship in 7 games with the Thunder in the finals. However, this season the Pacers have become the team with the worst record in the league. Of course, this is also because the Pacers have suffered a wide range of injuries, with many main players missing due to injuries, including Haliburton, Nesmith, Marcelin, Toppin, McConnell, Nembhard, etc. Among the main players, only Siakam remains healthy, which is the main reason for their poor record this season. If there were no injuries, the Pacers should still be very strong.