Tyrese Haliburton was one rebound from a triple double while Bennedict Mathurin led scoring from the bench as Indiana Pacers secured a 2-1 series lead over Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals thanks to a 116-107 victory in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Mathurin made 75% of field goal attempts as the Pacers bench contributed a whopping 49 points, while TJ McConnell had 10 points, five assists and five steals – becoming the first player in NBA history to get five or more steals and assists in a Finals match off the bench.
But for three quarters, OKC edged control of the game and led by five points going into the final quarter at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, only for the Pacers to lock in and put up a monumental defensive display to shut down OKC.
When Jalen Williams, who finished with 26 points to lead scoring for OKC, scored a floater to make it a one-point game with 5:57 left in the game, Pacers defence put up a masterclass to restrict OKC to one made field goal for the rest of the game to wrap up a crucial win.