Pacers Surge Past Thunder in Game 3 Thriller
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
The Pacers brought Gainbridge Fieldhouse to life Wednesday night with a thrilling 116–107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, seizing a 2–1 lead in the NBA Finals. It was Indiana’s first home Finals game in 25 years, and the 17,274 fans delivered the kind of energy that powered a fourth-quarter comeback and the team’s first Game 3 win of the 2025 Playoffs.
Tyrese Haliburton nearly posted a triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, while Bennedict Mathurin erupted for a game-high 27 points off the bench. T.J. McConnell added 10 points, five assists, and five steals in a gutsy performance that turned the tide in the second quarter, where Indiana dropped a blistering 40 points to take a halftime lead.
Oklahoma City surged late in the third, but Indiana roared back with a dominant 32–18 fourth quarter. Mathurin made history as the youngest player to score 25 or more off the bench in a Finals game since bench stats began being recorded in 1971.
The Pacers improved to 14–0 when scoring at least 110 points this postseason and are now 5–0 following a loss. They also remain perfect in games where Haliburton scores 10 or more in the first half.
With Game 4 set for Friday in Indianapolis, the Pacers stand just two wins away from their first NBA title. As Haliburton said after the win, “We love playing in front of our fans. They deserve high-stakes, high-level basketball, and we’re giving them that right now.”