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Indiana Pacers fully utilized by Homecourt and withdrew in the fourth quarter to defeat Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-107, in Game 3.
Indiana owns a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals series after stolen Game 1 thanks to Tyrese Haliburton’s heroic last second jumper to win on 111-110.
And after a mediocre performance for Pacers in Game 2, Haliburton turned it up from three-point territory to lead the way for Indiana.
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Indiana Pacers -tip Pascal Siakam (43) passes the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder tip Chet Holmgren (7) during the third quarter of match three of the 2025 NBA final at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Kyle Terada-Preferred Pictures)
Haliburton finished the game with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including four made triangles. He was also a rebound away from a triple double after supporting 11 assists. At the defensive end, Haliburton also had two stealing and a block.
But this series has proven to be one that requires bench depth to show, and Pacers -Guard Benedict Mathurin was up to the challenge.
Thunder Strike back as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominates games 2 for even NBA finals against Pacers
Mathurin fell 27 points and led Pacers in this category after giving a very effective 9-AF-12 from the field with 7-of-8 made free kick over 22 minutes of work. He also had four rebounds and an assist for his team.
Pascal Siakam was also in the 20-point club and went 8-of-14 from the field with 5-of-6 made free kicks for 21 points with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Oklahoma City Thunder-Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers-Guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first half of match three of the 2025 NBA final at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Kyle Terada-Preferred Pictures)
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not have his best day shooting to his usual standards, walking 9-of-20 from the floor as Indiana continued to play solid defense on him throughout the game. He had 24 points with eight rebounds and four assists, while Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City in the point department with 26 at night.
Chet Holmgren noted a double double, though he wants him to have more than 20 points after walking 6-of-15 shooting. He also had 10 rebounds with two assists.
The pacers were able to drop 40 points in the second quarter, but it was the thunder that led after three quarters, 89-84.
However, Oklahoma City’s violation got cold in the fourth quarter when they were outsscored 32-18, an unprecedented 12 minutes for this team compared to what they have been able to achieve the whole season.
Indiana Pacers Guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the curve towards Oklahoma City Thunder tip Jalen Williams (8) during the third quarter of match three of the 2025 NBA final at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Kyle Terada-Preferred Pictures)
Both sides had similar statistics as a team, but Indiana turned it up again as it means most in the fourth quarter.
Indiana hopes to create an even greater gap in this series in Game 4 Friday night in their building.
