Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Pacers prevailed at home in Game 3 of the Finals against the Thunder

Joyful cries filled Gainbridge Fieldhouse as the Pacers edged out the Thunder in Game 3, their first home Finals match in 25 years. Members of the 2000 squad witnessed the superior bench play, transition attack, points off turnovers, and Andrew Nembhard’s on-ball pestering of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcome an impeded half-court attack to take a 2-1 lead. Keep in mind that the winner of Game 3 of the Finals after both teams are tied wins the series 80.5% of the time, per the NBA’s Facts and Figures.

The Thunder were on the verge of wiping out the Pacers, but TJ McConnell turned into John Stockton for five minutes in the second quarter as he snagged two offensive rebounds, stole an inbound pass in OKC territory and set up teammates for a cut through the middle and shot from the corner. He was the main force as the Pacers erased an eight-point hole and handed a three-digit lead to Tyrese Haliburton when he checked in.

Bennedict Mathurin was the go-to scorer, making five shots on the catch and dribble from short, middle and long range. Coach Rick Carlisle said, “He’s put in a lot of work to be ready for these moments and tonight he was an absolute major factor.” Haliburton also dribbled into the lane for two floaters and swished a 3-pointer, helping the Pacers get to halftime up 64-60.

The Thunder then went on an eight-point burst to start the third quarter as SGA and Jalen Williams buried mid-range jumpers and burst into the lane. The Pacers tried to slow down Williams with Aaron Nesmith, but he got torched twice more before the period ended, which included getting crossed at the top of the key, giving up a triple.

Haliburton was the lone Pacer who logged multiple field goals in the period (3) as his teammates were crowded by help defense and bothered by prompt contests. They started the fourth down four on the scoreboard and took the lead after five minutes as Mathurin nailed a right-side screen-roll jumper. Their on-ball pressure also repressed the Thunder on shots from long and short range to 35% for the frame.

SGA was gassed in crunch time after being chased by Nembhard and Ben Sheppard. He only made one shot in three tries the rest of the way as the Pacers sealed the win with a 15-9 run.

The Pacers won 116-107. Mathurin outscored OKC’s bench by himself (27-18) and became the youngest player to score 25+ bench points in a Finals game since it was first tracked in 1970-71, per NBA communications. On top of that, the team beat the Thunder in four key areas: points in the paint (50-48), fastbreak points (17-10), second chance points (13-7) and points off turnovers (21-14).

After the game, Mathurin said, “As much as this is a dream right now, I’m not trying to live in my dream. I’m trying to live in the present and make sure the dream ends well, which means winning the next game and winning a championship.”