CNN
—
Indianapolis played host to the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years and the home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse witnessed a doozy of a game that saw their home team take another step toward a title.
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 to secure a Game 3 win and take a 2-1 series lead.
Both teams played a game of tug-of-war through the first three quarters but the Pacers did what they do best: Close out tight games.
With six minutes left in the contest, the Thunder held a one-point lead. A little over a minute later, after an Obi Toppin put-back dunk, Indiana had sprinted to a seven-point advantage and the tone of the game had changed entirely. Oklahoma City found themselves in the same position as other Pacers opponents during this playoff run – on the receiving end of a late-game Indiana blitz.
The Indianapolis crowd, which featured WNBA star Caitlin Clark and Basketball Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Reggie Miller, celebrated the Indy’s win as the clock hit zero.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who had received criticism for a quiet performance in most of Game 2 and came into the game with injury concerns, scored 22 points with Pascal Siakam adding 21 points in the win.
Haliburton gave credit to his teammates for leading another come from behind victory.
“So many different guys chipped in,” Haliburton told the ABC broadcast. “(The) guy behind me, (Bennedict) Mathurin, was amazing off the bench tonight. He just stuck with it. Pascal (Siakam) was huge to start the game. We just had guys make plays after plays. Our bench was amazing. … It’s a big win for us.”
The Thunder came out of the gates with flashy play from both Chet Holmgren and Luguentz Dort early in the contest. The 23-year-old Holmgren kept OKC’s offense in rhythm, scoring 13 points while the former Arizona State guard Dort added nine points on three made 3-pointers to give the team a sizable lead.
The Pacers came into the second quarter with an eight-point deficit but erased it behind their bench play and the Thunder going cold from the field, shooting 42% in the frame.
Mathurin and TJ McConnell led the way off the bench. Mathurin scored 14 first-half points, while McConnell flashed why some call him “Floor General,” adding six points, four assists and three steals as Indy took a 64-60 lead into halftime.
Indiana’s bench outscored Oklahoma City’s 30-11 in the first half.
It would only be a matter of time before the Thunder got out to a quick 8-0 run to open the second half to reclaim the lead that they would hold for the rest of the quarter as star Shai Gilegous-Alexander got things going after a slow start.
The recently crowned MVP scored 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting, a smaller output than the opening two games of the series after Gilgeous-Alexander dropped more than 38 and 34 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively.
Haliburton added that Pacer fans are deserving of this type of basketball after 25 years.
“They deserve high stakes, high-level basketball and we are giving them that right now. Big win for us. We can enjoy it, but we’ve got a day in between us so got to get ready to go for Game 4,” the 25-year-old said.
The 22-year-old Mathurin finished with a game-high 27 points while McConnell had 10 points, five assists and five steals.
Game 4 is on Friday before the series shifts back to the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday.
