Fueled by a historic performance from their reserves, the Indiana Pacers seized a 2-1 lead in the 2025 NBA Finals with a 116-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 11 at a raucous Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
Bennedict Mathurin erupted off the bench for a career playoff-high 27 points in only 22 minutes.
The 22-year-old became the youngest player to score 25+ points off the bench in an NBA Finals game since starters and reserves were first tracked in 1970-71.
He also set an NBA Finals record for most points in fewer than 23 minutes played in the shot-clock era.
“Bennedict was phenomenal,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said following the game.
However, Mathurin wasn’t alone.
T.J. McConnell added 10 points, five assists and five steals in only 15 minutes. He became the first bench player with at least 10 points, five assists and five steals in a Finals game since steals were officially recorded in 1973-74.
Together with Myles Turner’s five blocks, they marked the first Finals duo with 5+ steals and 5+ blocks since Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo in 2001.
Turner’s second block made him Indiana’s all-time playoff blocks leader (124), passing Jermaine O’Neal.
He now holds the franchise records for blocks in regular season and playoffs.
Facing an early 9-point deficit, the Pacers exploded for 40 points in the second quarter to take a 64-60 halftime lead.
They sealed the win with a 32-point fourth quarter.
Point guard Tyrese Haliburton orchestrated the offense, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. Indiana improved to 20-1 this season when Haliburton recorded at least 20 points and 10 assists.
“It’s about resilience,” Haliburton stated. “We responded every time they made a run.”
The Thunder, led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 points, eight rebounds) and Jalen Williams (26 points), became the third team since 1973-74 with 200+ steals and 100+ blocks in a single postseason.
Yet they couldn’t contain Indiana’s bench surge or overcome 19 turnovers, leading to 21 Pacers points.
The win marked Indiana’s first Game 3 victory this postseason (1-3) and their first Finals home game since June 16, 2000.
History favors the Pacers. Teams winning Game 3 of a 1-1 Finals have gone on to win the series 80 percent of the time.
Game 4 tips off June 13 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 8:30 p.m.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on TikTok @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more NBA Finals coverage from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
