After tearing his labrum and missing the end of last season, Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin got a calendar to count the days until he could return to the floor, The Athletic’s Shakeia Taylor writes.
Fast-forward a year, and Mathurin delivered a historic performance for the Pacers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, notching 27 points in 22 minutes. His scoring output was the most for a reserve in the Finals since Jason Terry in 2011, Taylor notes.
“Every day he would come in and take one off, take one off,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “He was counting the days down to being cleared sometime in August. Then be able to begin training camp, begin five-on-five with our guys in September and then be in training camp, really, with his eyes firmly set on an opportunity in the playoffs. He’s put in a lot of work to be ready for these moments, and tonight he was an absolute major factor.”
Mathurin attributed his eager and stay-ready mentality to watching and learning from his teammates and coaches during the playoffs last spring.
“I think as much as I was out last year, not being able to play, I learned a lot,” Mathurin said. “Just being on the bench and being next to the coaches who were able to run me through the game and stuff like that. It was an unfortunate situation, but I was fortunate enough to learn a lot and be ready for this year.”
We have more from the Pacers:
- Myles Turner played through an illness in Game 3, Joel A. Erickson of IndyStar writes. He battled cold-like symptoms during the game, but still wound up making the defensive play of the game when he blocked Chet Holmgren to maintain the team’s late lead. “Well, Myles is under the weather,” Carlisle said. “He may not even be with us tomorrow. He just hasn’t been feeling well the last couple of days. It was affecting his wind. He won’t bring it up, but I think it’s just appropriate to mention that he’s working through something.” According to IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak, Turner is not on the injury report for Game 4, but Jarace Walker (right ankle sprain) has been ruled out for the fourth straight game.
- Alongside Mathurin, the Pacers got significant contributions off the bench from T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin in their Game 3 win, per The Athletic’s David Aldridge. McConnell recorded 10 points, five assists and five steals. “I think his energy is unbelievable,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “You guys know he’s definitely a crowd favorite. I joke with him, I call him the Great White Hope. He does a great job of bringing energy in this building. And I think people feed off that. And he had a couple of unbelievable steals.”
- Haliburton shut down outside noise and delivered a tremendous performance in Game 3, Dopirak writes. He recorded 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the win. “I think the commentary is always going to be what it is, you know?” Haliburton said. “Most of the time, the talking heads on the major platforms, I couldn’t care less. Honestly, like what do they really know about basketball?“