Five takeaways from Game 3 of NBA Finals

The Pacers finished with 13 steals to the Thunder's six, a result of some sloppy Thunder passes but also some very energetic ball-hawking. T.J. McConnell finished with five steals while Tyrese Haliburton had two steals, including one he took in for a dunk.

The Thunder committed the fewest turnovers in the NBA during the regular season, but coughed up the ball 17 times in Game 3. Five of those happened in the final quarter, when the Pacers also blocked five shots. Perhaps the most impressive part of the Indiana defense was limiting MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to only three fourth-quarter attempts and two free throws.

2. Tyrese Haliburton answered his critics

Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points total in the first two games of the NBA Finals, the same as Thunder backup guard Alex Caruso. What was worse for the Pacers was that their All-Star only had six assists in each of those games, meaning the Thunder successfully shut down the engine of the Pacers offense.

In Game 3, Haliburton played aggressively right away. He had five points, four assists, a steal and a block in the first quarter, getting his teammates involved in a way he hadn't been able to in the first two games.

The Pacers also managed to get Haliburton free with screens at the top of the circle, mainly from Turner. He got the ball on the move more often and managed to sidestep defensive pressure on his way to 22 points and four three-pointers.

3. T.J. McConnell did T.J. McConnell things

After the second time T.J. McConnell assisted on a Pacers basket and then stole the inbounds pass, ESPN's Mike Breen exclaimed, "T.J. McConnell doing T.J. McConnell things!" That's the best way to describe the impact McConnell had to start the second quarter. The 33-year-old guard had four assists, three steals, two points and an offensive rebound in the first 3:42, as the Pacers outscored the Thunder, 15-4.

In the fourth quarter, McConnell was at it again, stealing an inbounds pass for a free layup and his fifth steal.

McConnell is one of the oldest players on the Pacers roster and is somewhat of a throwback, as a point guard who doesn't shoot threes and gets by on hustle. Wednesday night, McConnell was the one playing with the most energy.

4. Role players are better at home

It's a cliche that in the playoffs, role players tend to play better at home. That was the case for the Pacers Wednesday night.

Bennedict Mathurin has had an up-and-down postseason, with inconsistent performances and even less consistent minutes. But when the 22-year-old is good, he's very, very good. He delivered 27 points in Game 3, the highest playoff total of his career, but also his fourth game of 20+ points off the bench during these playoffs. The Pacers were +16 in his 22 minutes, where Mathurin shot 9-of-12 and scored everywhere, from the hoop to the mid-range to three-point land.

Obi Toppin delivered off the bench with eight points and six rebounds, playing a surprising 28 minutes and delivering one of the game's biggest plays when he dunked home a Haliburton miss, getting the rebound through four Thunder defenders.

Right after the dunk, Toppin blocked a Jalen Williams layup. Defense was the unexpected element from the Pacers' bench. The reserves had seven steals and three blocks, and while Ben Sheppard's box score numbers were ordinary (four points, two rebounds, two steals), his full-court defense on SGA seemed to take a toll on the Thunder guard.

5. Chet Holmgren started strong and then disappeared

The Thunder's 23-year-old center started Game 3 like a man on a mission. He had eight points in the first five minutes and 13 points in the first quarter, shooting 4-of-5, grabbing four rebounds and getting to the foul line for six free throws.

For the remaining three quarters, Holmgren was invisible. He scored seven points in his last 26 minutes, shooting 2-of-10 and grabbing six more boards. He didn't block a shot. In the fourth quarter, he had more shots blocked (three) than points (two).

The Pacers somewhat limited SGA on Wednesday, but Jalen Williams stepped up with 26 points. In the second half, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams combined for 27 points, while no one else scored more than five. It's a lot easier to defend the MVP when his teammates aren't delivering.

Holmgren is looking at a maximum contract extension this summer, as is Williams. He looked like a max player for the game's first nine minutes. The Thunder need him to look like a max player for four quarters if they're going to take three out of four games from the Pacers.