Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin Pulled Off Incredible Bench Record to Win Game 3

The Indiana Pacers had a huge game from their bench in their Game 3 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a win they had to get now that they have home-court advantage.

In order to win that game, they had to get an excellent effort from the bench to supplement what the starting lineup did. No one had a better game than Bennedict Mathurin.

Mathurin had 27 points in just 22 minutes off the bench. His ability to score in the half-court was exactly what the Pacers needed against a tough Thunder defense.

Bennedict Mathurin proved why the Pacers need to keep him after dominating Game 3 of the NBA Finals

Up to this point, Mathurin had not had a great playoffs. He wasn't able to score at the rate that he normally would, nor has he defended at a high level.

Mathurin is a guy who has been floated around as a possible trade candidate if the Pacers want to get under the luxury tax this summer and re-sign Myles Turner.

After a game like that on the game's biggest stage, he proved why the Pacers need to keep him. He has a unique skill set that not everyone else on the team has.

He is one of the few guys on the roster who can beat someone one-on-one. While the Pacers play a free-flowing style of basketball, the game can still come down to beating a guy one-on-one.

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Mathurin is someone who can do that, and he is up for an extension this summer. If the Pacers want to, they can sign him this summer to that extension. They can also wait until next year to do so.

While the Pacers don't tank and don't get high draft picks, Mathurin is the product of the one terrible season they had in the last few years. He was the sixth overall pick back in the 2022 draft.

So far this postseason, Mathurin is averaging 11.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. He is shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three.

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