NBA Finals: Pacers' bench powers key win over Thunder

The Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals (2-1) with a 116-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 3 of the playoffs.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton delivered his best performance of the NBA Finals—and likely the entire Playoffs—coming just one rebound shy of a triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists.

"We love playing in front of our fans. We love being here. They deserve high-level, high-stakes basketball, and that's what we're giving them right now," said the point guard at the end of the game against the Thunder.

However, the Pacers' victory wasn’t solely due to Haliburton’s efforts. Indiana’s bench played a crucial role, led by T. J. McConnell, who was relentless in applying defensive pressure with 5 steals, and Bennedict Mathurin, who finished as the game’s top scorer with 27 points.

"The main thing is to be resilient. You have to be the aggressor to win games," Mathurin stressed. Pascal Siakam scored 21 points and Myles Turner had a more discreet performance.

The Thunder are self-critical

While the Pacers knew how to take advantage of all their resources in this third confrontation of the NBA Finals, the Thunder did not, depending, exclusively, on their big three.

The season's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 24 points, acknowledged the opponent’s superiority in this third game and offered self-criticism for the loss. 

"They were more aggressive, more forceful. Starting with me, we have to apply that pressure back to beat a team like this away from home, in a hostile environment with the crowd on their side," said SGA.

Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double (20 points and 10 rebounds) and Jalen Williams finished as the Oklahoma franchise's leading scorer (26 points).

The fourth NBA Finals game will be played this Friday, again at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This last victory leaves the Pacers two wins away from winning their first NBA era ring.