The Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to take a 2-1 series lead.
Bennedict Mathurin lead the Pacers in scoring with 27 points off the bench. Tyrese Halliburton added 22 points, with Pascal Siakam scoring 21 points.
“We just had guys make plays after plays,” said Haliburton after the game. “Our bench was amazing. … It’s a big win for us.”
The Pacers bench outscored the Thunder bench 49-18 in the game.
Mathurin became the sixth player since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77 to score 25 points or more in a Finals at 22 years old or younger. T.J. McConnell also came off the bench to add 10 points, five assists, and five steals, becoming the first player in the finals to record that stat line.
In 41 previous NBA Finals that were tied at 1-1, the team that won Game 3 has gone on to win the series 80.5% of the time.
The Pacers are now 10-0 following losses since mid-March.
Game 4 takes place on Friday night.