Leave it to Indiana’s bench to swing the biggest game of the season. With the starters fading and the game hanging in the balance, Bennedict Mathurin and TJ McConnell turned Gainbridge Fieldhouse into a madhouse, leading the Pacers past the Thunder 116–107 on Wednesday night to seize a 2–1 lead in the NBA finals.
Mathurin poured in 27 points off the bench and McConnell was all over the court – diving for loose balls, snatching steals, dishing dimes – as Indiana overwhelmed Oklahoma City with a 32–18 fourth quarter. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 49–18 in bench points and closed the game on a 22–8 run, flipping a five-point deficit into a win that puts them two victories from their first NBA title.
“We just had guys make plays after plays,” said Tyrese Haliburton. “Our bench was amazing.”
Schedule
Best-of-seven-games series. All times US eastern time (EDT).
Thu 5 Jun Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110
Sun 8 Jun Game 2: Thunder 123, Pacers 107
Wed 11 Jun Game 3: Pacers 116, Thunder 107
Fri 13 Jun Game 4: Thunder at Pacers, 8.30pm
Mon 16 Jun Game 5: Pacers at Thunder, 8.30pm
Thu 19 Jun Game 6: Thunder at Pacers, 8.30pm*
Sun 22 Jun Game 7: Pacers at Thunder, 8pm*
*-if necessary
How to watch
In the US, all games will air on ABC. Streaming options include ABC.com or the ABC app (with a participating TV provider login), as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, fuboTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and Sling TV (via ESPN3 for ABC games). NBA League Pass offers replays, but live finals games are subject to blackout restrictions in the US.
In the UK, the games will be available on TNT Sports and Discovery+. As for streaming, NBA League Pass will provide live and on-demand access to all Finals games without blackout restrictions.
In Australia, the games will broadcast live on ESPN Australia. Kayo Sports and Foxtel Now will stream the games live, while NBA League Pass will offer live and on-demand access without blackout restrictions.
Haliburton finished with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Pascal Siakam added 21 points and the basket that all but sealed it: a smooth drive to the rim with 1:09 left to stretch Indiana’s lead to 112–104.
The Thunder, who had taken an 89–84 lead into the fourth quarter, were outplayed and out-executed down the stretch. They shot just 35.3% in the final period, went 0-for-4 from three-point range and committed five turnovers. Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 26 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 24 more and Chet Holmgren had 20 points and 10 rebounds, but went 0-for-6 from deep.
Indiana’s bench provided the burst. McConnell tied the game at 95 early in the fourth by intercepting Alex Caruso’s inbounds pass under the basket and flipping in a layup. On the next trip, he fed Mathurin for a corner three to give Indiana the lead.
After a brief rest, Haliburton re-entered, took a handoff at the top of the key and drilled his fourth triple of the night to make it 101–98 with 6:42 left. Then came a barrage: Andrew Nembhard’s elbow jumper, Obi Toppin’s put-back dunk, Aaron Nesmith’s skip-pass three,and another Mathurin floater. The Pacers had turned a track meet into a runaway.
Thanks to Mathurin’s scoring and McConnell’s defensive activity – he finished with 10 points, five assists and five steals – Indiana controlled the tempo and outworked Oklahoma City in the moments that mattered most.
“So many different guys chipped in,” Haliburton said.
McConnell also made plays earlier in the fourth, hitting a running right-handed layup between two buckets from Mathurin to keep Indiana close at 93–91. When the Pacers finally broke through, they never gave the lead back.
Still, Oklahoma City had one last shot. With 2:35 remaining and Indiana up 110–102, Caruso stole a pass and darted into the open court. As he stepped into the paint, Nesmith met him with a hard two-handed foul that sent Caruso sprawling. Officials reviewed the play, but ultimately ruled it a common foul. Caruso made both free throws, and on the next play, Myles Turner lost the ball out of bounds.
But Turner quickly atoned, stuffing Holmgren twice at the rim on the ensuing possession. Indiana got another stop,and Siakam’s layup put the game away for good.
The win extended a remarkable trend: the Pacers are now 10–0 since mid-March in games following a loss.
Oklahoma City had used a late-third quarter burst, highlighted by a Williams step-back three and Holmgren’s and-one baseline dunk, to take their largest lead of the half. But they couldn’t keep Indiana’s bench contained in the Pacers’ first home NBA finals game since 2000.
Game 4 is Friday night in Indianapolis, where the Pacers can take a commanding 3–1 series lead. Historically, teams that win Game 3 of a tied NBA finals have gone on to win the title 80.5% of the time.
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