Bennedict Mathurin scored 27 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 22 and 11 assists as the Indiana Pacers closed strong to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116–107 in Game 3 of the NBA finals on Wednesday night, taking a 2–1 series lead.
Indiana trailed by five entering the fourth quarter but outscored Oklahoma City 32–18 in the final period, fueled by a 22–8 closing run. Mathurin had 10 points in the quarter, while Haliburton orchestrated the offense and found Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner for key buckets down the stretch.
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Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 points and Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Oklahoma City’s offense faltered late. The Thunder shot just 6-of-17 in the fourth and went 0-for-4 from three-point range, committing five turnovers in the period.
Siakam finished with 21 points for Indiana, which had six players score in double figures and shot 51.8% from the field. The Pacers turned 19 Thunder turnovers into 21 points and owned the second-chance battle, 13–7.
Game 4 is Friday in Indianapolis, where the Pacers will look to push Oklahoma City to the brink.
More to follow.