The 2017-18 season hasn't been a good one for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they've really struggled to get going despite the strong line up which they have. For one of their players tonight against the Indiana Pacers, things could about to get a lot tougher.

Tonight, Thunder's Paul George will be back in Indiana for the first time since he was traded by the Pacers for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in July during the NBA offseason, a move which came after he informed the team he was leaving following the 2017-18 season, when he had the opportunity to opt out on the final year of his contract.

The small forward spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Pacers before being traded to Oklahoma last summer. Fans in Indiana are definitely going to be emotional upon his return, and George knows it.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in the build-up to arguably his biggest game as a member of the Thunder so far, George said he believes he's going to receive a lot of boos when he turns up at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

George said to reporters, per the Norman Transcript's Fred Katz: "Boos? Honestly, I wouldn't think it would be any other way. The Pacers fans outweigh the Paul George fans, so that's what I'm looking forward to.

"For whatever reason, I'll be booed, but I'm gonna embrace it. I'm gonna thrive on that. It's going to give me the energy to play better."

George and the rest of the Thunder certainly do need that energy to play better, as despite boasting one of the most talented trios in the league in George, Anthony, and Westbrook, they're struggling to even capture a playoff spot in the Western Conference at this rate.

The team currently has a record of 12-14 on the season after 26 games played, and in the last two weeks, the team has lost games to the Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, and the Charlotte Hornets.

A win against the Pacers will be a good starting point to get their season back on track, but it won't be easy to obtain since they seem to be doing just fine without George in their ranks. The team currently sits on a 16-11 record and they're in the middle of a four-game winning streak.

However, the Thunder has already defeated the Pacers earlier this season at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, so they'll be hoping to do the same thing in Indiana tonight.