Bennedict Mathurin could become a cult hero.
The Indiana Pacers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 at home in Game 3 Wednesday to take a 2-1 NBA Finals lead.
Mathurin, the No. 6 overall pick by Indiana in 2022, erupted for a game-high 27 points off the bench. He shot a scorching 9 of 12 from the field to go with 7 of 8 free throws. He added four rebounds, one assist and a block in just 22 minutes. He averaged 16.1 points on 45.8% shooting in the regular season.
Sometimes you need your non-stars to step up and swing a game in a playoff setting, and Indiana just got one from its own draft pick.
Indiana started both halves extremely slow, but blew out Oklahoma City in each of the second and fourth quarters to seize the advantage.
Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana’s starters with 22 points on 9 of 17 shooting to go with 11 assists and nine rebounds, one away from a triple double. He also logged two steals and a block. Pascal Siakam posted 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting, with T.J. McConnell’s 10 points off the bench rounding out the double-digit scorers.
Oklahoma City got better production out of their starters, but lacked enough bench scoring. Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting, while league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points on 9 of 20 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Chet Holmgren had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, but went 0-for-6 from deep that stunted OKC’s perimeter statistics. Alex Caruso played 32 minutes off the bench, adding eight points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Isaiah Joe played just four minutes and made both of his 3-point attempts.
The Thunder are now in a precarious situation down 2-1 in enemy territory. Should Indiana capitalize at home, Oklahoma City would be down 3-1, a deficit only 13 teams in league history have turned around.
Only one of those 3-1 deficits were turned around in the NBA Finals, which involved LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers beating Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
Game 4 is set for Friday in Indiana at 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT.
Here are five things to know about Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.
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