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The Indiana Pacers took full advantage of the homecourt, pulling away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-107, in Game 3.
Indiana owns a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals series after stealing Game 1 thanks to Tyrese Haliburton’s heroic last-second jumper to win it 111-110.
And after a mediocre performance for the Pacers in Game 2, Haliburton turned it up from three-point territory to lead the way for Indiana.
Haliburton finished the game with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including four made threes. He was also one rebound away from a triple-double after tallying 11 assists. On the defensive end, Haliburton also had two steals and one block.
But this series has proven to be one that requires bench depth to show out, and Pacers guard Benedict Mathurin was up for the challenge.
THUNDER STRIKE BACK AS SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER DOMINATES GAME 2 TO EVEN NBA FINALS AGAINST PACERS
Mathurin dropped 27 points, leading the Pacers in that category after going a highly efficient 9-of-12 from the field with 7-of-8 made free throws over 22 minutes of work. He also had four rebounds and one assist for his squad.
Pascal Siakam was also in the 20-point club, going 8-of-14 from the field with 5-of-6 made free throws for 21 points with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have his best day shooting by his usual standards, going 9-of-20 from the floor as Indiana continued to play solid defense on him throughout the game. He had 24 points with eight rebounds and four assists, while Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City in the points department with 26 on the night.
Chet Holmgren notched himself a double-double, though he wishes he had more than 20 points after going 6-of-15 shooting. He had 10 rebounds with two assists as well.
The Pacers were able to drop 40 points in the second quarter, but it was the Thunder leading after three quarters, 89-84.
However, Oklahoma City’s offense went cold in the fourth quarter as they were outscored 32-18, an unprecedented 12 minutes for this team compared to what they’ve been able to accomplish all season long.
Both sides had similar stats as a team, but Indiana, once again, turned it up when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.
Indiana hopes to create an even bigger divide in this series in Game 4 on Friday night in their building.
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