Haliburton, Pacers Win NBA Finals Game 3 vs. Thunder as Fans Praise Mathurin, Bench

Tyrese Haliburton's near triple-double and a phenomenal bench performance led by Bennedict Mathurin propelled the host Indiana Pacers to a 116-107 home win against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Indiana now leads the best-of-seven series two games to one.

Haliburton finished with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Mathurin added a game-high 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting in just 22 minutes off the bench.

The Pacers' reserves notably outscored the Thunder bench 49-18. Indiana's bench scored 30 of the team's 64 first-half points.

TJ McConnell was also sensational (10 points, five assists, five steals) and did something no reserve had ever done before in NBA Finals history.

Obi Toppin also added eight points and seven rebounds, and the Pacers outscored the Thunder by 18 points with him on the floor.

Other factors that contributed to the Pacers' win included a fantastic fourth quarter performance. Indiana outscored OKC 32-18 in the fourth, turning an 89-84 deficit into a nine-point win.

Indiana's active defensive performance also played a hand. The Pacers had 13 steals and 11 blocks compared to the Thunder's six steals and four blocks. Indiana outscored Oklahoma City 21-14 in points off turnovers.

The Pacers are now 5-0 in these playoffs after losing a game, showcasing their resiliency. They are also 8-0 with Fever superstar Caitlin Clark in attendance.

Ultimately, the Pacers' bench was the primary reason Indiana is two wins away from the franchise's first-ever NBA title.

The bench played its best when needed most in the fourth quarter. Mathurin scored 10 points, including a three-point play to get Indiana going after the break.

McConnell had a massive steal off a bad inbounds pass to tie the game at 95:

Mathurin soon followed up with a three for a 98-96 edge:

The two teams went back-and-forth, with OKC forward Jalen Williams cutting the lead to 101-100 with a two-pointer with 5:58 left.

However, the Pacers responded with a 6-0 run capped by Toppin's putback dunk for a 107-100 lead with 4:25 remaining.

OKC never got closer than five points from that moment forward.

Elsewhere in the box score, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam excelled again with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Indiana center Myles Turner dominated defensively with five blocks.

Williams led OKC with 26 points, while NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Chet Holmgren added a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Game 4 will occur on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET in Indianapolis.