The Indiana Pacers made a strong comeback to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107, taking a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday.
Tyrese Haliburton led the team with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists. He was supported by a huge performance off the bench from Bennedict Mathurin, who scored a career playoff-high 27 points. The Pacers’ bench outperformed the Thunder’s, scoring 49 points compared to just 18 from Oklahoma City’s reserves.
Indiana’s defense was also key, limiting Thunder star and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to only 3 points in the fourth quarter, although he finished the game with 24. Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 points.
Haliburton praised his teammates after the game, telling ABC, “Ben Mathurin was amazing off the bench. He just kept going. Everyone contributed, making big plays.”
Pascal Siakam added 21 points, while TJ McConnell chipped in with 10 points and five steals for Indiana. The win continued a strong trend for the Pacers, who are now 10-0 in games following a loss since March 11.
Game 4 will also be in Indiana on Friday, giving the Pacers a chance to extend their series lead before the action returns to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday.
The Pacers were down by five points entering the fourth quarter but took control when Haliburton hit a key three-pointer with just under seven minutes left. A powerful dunk from Obi Toppin made it 107-100, and his block on Jalen Williams shortly after helped seal the win.
Oklahoma City started strong, silencing the home crowd early with a 15-6 lead. Indiana fought back with a three-pointer from Haliburton to close the gap, but the Thunder still led by eight after the first quarter.
Despite the early setback, Indiana fans—who haven’t seen their team in the Finals since 2000—had plenty to cheer for. The Pacers’ second-half push, led by their bench, turned the game around. McConnell gave Indiana the lead with free throws at 37-36, and Mathurin’s layup later made it 46-42, their biggest lead of the series so far.
The Pacers built a seven-point lead, but Oklahoma City fought back and tied the game at 51-51. When the score was 55-55, Haliburton made a three-pointer and McConnell hit a fadeaway jumper to give Indiana a 64-60 lead at halftime.
The close contest continued in the third quarter. Oklahoma City started strong with an 8-0 run, but the Pacers quickly responded. The teams kept trading the lead, and by the end of the third quarter, the Thunder were ahead 89-84.
However, they couldn’t finish the job. Jalen Williams scored 26 points and Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder. But they made 19 turnovers, which gave Indiana 21 points.
After the game, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, “In the fourth quarter, they just played better than us on both offense and defense. They kept up their strong defense and fast pace, while we couldn’t match their energy.”
The Pacers dominated the final quarter, outscoring the Thunder 32-18 to secure a big win in the series.
Game 4 will be held in Indianapolis on Friday. The Pacers now aim to take a 3-1 lead as they continue their push for their first-ever NBA Finals title.