Bennedict Mathurin made a match-defining contribution off the bench as the Indiana Pacers edged ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
Mathurin scored a team-high 27 points as the Pacers moved 2-1 up with a 116-107 victory in Game 3 in Indianapolis.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 points and added 11 assists and nine rebounds and Pascal Siam poured in 21 points but it was Mathurin that really sparked the Pacers’ offense.
“I was fortunate enough to learn a lot and be ready for this year.”
Bennedict Mathurin talks about the lessons he learned while being sidelined during last year’s playoff run. pic.twitter.com/KeW8lVajca
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 12, 2025
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Carlisle hails marvellous Mathurin
The 22-year-old’s points tally was the most by a reserve in the NBA Finals since Jason Terry in 2011, earning the praise of his coach Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle said: “This is the kind of team that we are.
“We need everybody to be ready. It’s not always going to be exactly the same guys that are stepping up with scoring and stuff like that, but this is how we got to do it. We got to do it as a team.”
Haliburton added: “He did a great job of coming off handoffs, reading the pocket, rising up from the midrange. This is a defense that will give that up.
“That’s the great thing about the Finals, great thing about basketball. When you have a team with this much depth, it can be anybody’s night.”
Just staying ready – Mathurin
The man himself was modest about his achievement but it was reward for his hard work in coming back from a torn labrum that kept him out of the Pacers’ postseason run in 2024.
“Just staying ready,” Mathurin told ESPN. “Whenever my number is called, go into the game and do the right things and try to help my team win. That’s the whole mindset.
“As much as I was out last year, not being able to play, I learned a lot. 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.”
Looking ahead to Game 4
📺 https://t.co/NLC1Kja99d pic.twitter.com/tCXG8rcXav
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 12, 2025
Thunder sink down the stretch
The Thunder were left to rue a poor final quarter in which they were outscored 32-18.
“In the fourth quarter, I just thought they really outplayed us on both ends,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought they were in character in terms of their physicality, their pressure on defense. Then they were in character in terms of their pace on offense.”
The series remains in Indianapolis for Game 4 tomorrow night and Thunder center Chet Holmgren insists they are still very much in contention.
“We have a great opportunity here,” he said.
“The great thing is we have another game coming up, Game 4. We can’t be thinking about frustration or anything. No matter how good it’s going, how bad it’s going, the focus can’t be on your emotions. It has to be on what we’re trying to accomplish, the task at hand.”
