The Indiana Pacers took control of the NBA Finals with a 116-107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, seizing a 2-1 series lead behind a breakout performance from their bench.
Bennedict Mathurin led all scorers with 27 points, while fellow reserve T.J. McConnell sparked the second unit as Indiana’s bench contributed a dominant 49 points.
PACERS TAKE GAME 3 IN INDY 🔥
Hali: 22 PTS | 9 REB | 11 AST
Mathurin: 27 PTS | 9-12 FG
Siakam: 21 PTS | 6 REB | 4 ASTCers take a 2-1 lead 🍿 pic.twitter.com/kSrrKis1rR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 12, 2025
Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA
Tyrese Haliburton flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, while Pascal Siakam added 21 points, continuing his consistent Finals production. With the victory, Indiana maintained its streak of not losing back-to-back games since March.
The Thunder were led by Jalen Williams’ 26 points, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to make his usual impact. Despite scoring 24 points, the MVP was limited to just six free throw attempts, a stark contrast to his 20 trips to the line over the first two games. He also made only one field goal in the fourth quarter, going 1-for-3 down the stretch.
Chet Holmgren had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but shot a rough 0-for-6 from three-point range, as Oklahoma City’s offense failed to close the gap in the final period.
Game 4 is set for Friday night, with the Pacers now holding the upper hand in the best-of-seven series.