INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers have developed a resilient reputation over the past few months. Each defeat they experience is promptly followed by a victory, and this comeback spirit was evident even against a formidable opponent in the NBA Finals.
Bennedict Mathurin made an impressive contribution off the bench, pouring in 27 points. Tyrese Haliburton narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, propelling the Pacers to a pivotal win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-107, in Game 3 on Wednesday night. This win allows Indiana to regain the lead in the series.
According to Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, the team’s strength lies in its collective effort. “This is the kind of team that we are. We need everybody to be ready. It’s not always going to be exactly the same guys that are stepping up with scoring and stuff like that. But this is how we’ve got to do it.”
Pascal Siakam contributed 21 points for Indiana, which had a staggering 49-18 advantage in bench points. The team’s bounce-back ability was on full display, as they have now gone 10-0 in games immediately following a loss since mid-March.
Haliburton praised the team effort, noting that “so many different guys chipped in.”
For the Thunder, Jalen Williams scored 26 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren added 24 and 20 points, respectively. Despite leading by five points heading into the fourth quarter, the Thunder couldn’t maintain their edge.
Game 4 will shift back to Indiana come Friday night. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged that while his team had several strong stretches during the game, the Pacers ultimately outperformed them over the complete duration of 48 minutes.
Statistically, the Pacers have positioned themselves well. Historically, out of the 41 NBA Finals series that were tied 1-1, the Game 3 victor ultimately won the title in 33 instances, translating to an 80.5% success rate.
The game exhibited a contested nature with 15 ties, a stark contrast to last year’s finals, which featured only 13 ties throughout all five games. The last finals game with more ties dated back to Game 1 of the 2018 finals between Cleveland and Golden State, boasting 17 ties.
TJ McConnell added valuable contributions with 10 points, five assists, and five steals, a feat that had never been accomplished off the bench in an NBA Finals game since such statistics have been recorded.
“Our bench was amazing,” Haliburton reflected.
Despite Oklahoma City’s strong track record of holding leads into the fourth quarter during the regular season, achieving a 61-2 record, they have succumbed twice in this series under similar circumstances. Indiana, hosting an NBA Finals game at home for the first time in 25 years and witnessed by basketball greats like Caitlin Clark, Reggie Miller, and Oscar Robertson, dominated the last 12 minutes. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 32-18 in that final quarter while limiting their shooting to 35% during key moments.
“There’s a lot of areas we can clean up,” noted Holmgren. “Everybody who stepped out there can be better.”