NBA Finals: Bennedict Mathurin, Bench Mob Power Pacers Past Thunder In Game 3

Mathurin finished with 27 points, joining some rare Finals company in the process. Haliburton added 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, as Indiana leaned on its depth and relentless tempo to seize back control of the series.

Pascal Siakam scored 21, and T.J. McConnell stuffed the box score with 10 points, five assists and five steals. The Pacers held a 49-18 edge in bench scoring — yes, 49-18 — in a game that featured 15 ties and enough big moments to fill an entire playoff reel.

“We just had guys make play after play,” Haliburton told ESPN postgame. “Our bench was amazing. It’s a big win for us.”

They made history, too.

Mathurin, still just 22, became only the sixth player since the NBA/ABA merger with 25-plus points in an NBA Finals game at that age or younger, joining a list that includes LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker. He’s just the fourth reserve to lead all scorers in a Finals game since starters were first officially tracked in 1971.

“Guys stepped up,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “Bennedict, T.J., the whole bench. That’s who we are.”

For the Thunder, Jalen Williams led the way with 26 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 24 and Chet Holmgren chipped in 20. Oklahoma City carried a five-point lead into the fourth quarter but was outscored 34-20 in the final 12 minutes.

Caruso made it briefly interesting late, sinking a pair of free throws after being fouled by Aaron Nesmith with 2:35 remaining. Officials reviewed the contact for a potential flagrant — and took their time with it — but ruled it a common foul. The free throws cut Indiana’s lead to 110-104.

That was as close as it would get.

The Pacers, playing at home in the Finals for the first time since 2000, clamped down and closed it out.

“Amazing,” Haliburton said. “We love playing in front of our fans. They deserve high-stakes, high-level basketball, and we’re giving them that right now.”

The win continued a remarkable trend: the Pacers are now 10-0 since mid-March in games following a loss.

And the numbers say they’ve taken command of the series. In Finals history, teams that win Game 3 after a 1-1 split have gone on to win the title 33 out of 41 times — just over 80%.

Game 4 is Friday night in Indianapolis, and suddenly, this thing is tilting in the Pacers’ favor.