The Pacers returned to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2014, played in the inaugural In-Season Tournament championship and boasted the highest-scoring offense in the NBA in 2023-24 but even that wasn't enough to earn them a spot on the NBA's Christmas Day docket, one of the marquee days on the regular season calendar.
The Pacers haven't played on Christmas Day since 2004, which is the third-longest streak of any NBA team without a Christmas Day game. Only Sacramento (2003) and the Charlotte Hornets (re-established in 2004 without appearing in a Christmas game) have gone longer.