Pacers Surge Late to Lead NBA Finals Series Again

Benedict Mathurin scored 27 points off the bench, Tyrese Haliburton added 22, and the Indiana Pacers recovered the NBA Finals lead with a 116-107 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 on Thursday.

Haliburton also had 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who received 21 points from Pascal Siakam and outscored their opponents 49-18 on the bench. The Pacers, who dropped Game 2 in Oklahoma City, have improved to 10-0 in games following losses since mid-March.

Jalen Williams scored 26 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 24, and Chet Holmgren had 20 for the Thunder, who lead by five heading into the fourth quarter.

"So many different guys chipped in," Haliburton explained.

According to history, the Pacers now have control of the series. Of the 41 previous NBA Finals that were tied at one game apiece, the Game 3 winner has won the trophy 33 times – an 80.5% success rate.

You have the advantage, Pacers

It was back-and-forth for much of the way and, at moments, appeared to be an incredible classic. There were 15 ties; for comparison, there were 13 ties in the previous year's five-game finals between Boston and Dallas.

TJ McConnell finished with 10 points, five assists, and five steals for Indiana; no one has ever come off the bench and done that in an NBA Finals game since those metrics were first recorded.

"We just had guys make plays after plays," Haliburton said. "Our bench was amazing."

With 2:35 left, the Pacers' Aaron Nesmith fouled Alex Caruso — a clear hard foul — and referees took a lengthy look to see if it matched the requirements for a flagrant penalty. The final call was a common foul, which resulted in Caruso receiving only two free throws rather than two plus the ball. He made both, bringing the score to 110-104.