Backup guards Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell helped Indiana’s bench escape with 49 factors because the Pacers topped the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 116-107 on Wednesday to say a 2-1 lead within the NBA Finals.
Because of 27 factors from Mathurin and the type of pyrotechnics the Pacers have grown to adore from reserve level guard McConnell, Indiana has the benefit within the best-of-seven collection.
Tyrese Haliburton offered heroics with 22 factors, 11 assists and 9 rebounds whereas Pascal Siakam added 21 factors for the Pacers, who haven’t misplaced back-to-back video games since December.
Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 factors and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 factors. Chet Holmgren compiled 20 factors and 10 rebounds however shot 0-for-6 from 3-point vary.
Sport 4 is scheduled for Friday in Indianapolis.
The Thunder trailed 110-102 with three minutes to go, however Alex Caruso tried to maintain the Pacers from a untimely celebration with a steal and breakaway into the open court docket. Two steps into the paint, Aaron Nesmith closed and forcefully introduced each arms down on Caruso to forestall the shot try and take him to the ground. Following a evaluation, no flagrant foul was referred to as.
Caruso made each free throws and Indiana’s Myles Turner subsequently misplaced the ball out of bounds. Nonetheless, Turner, who missed eight of his first 10 pictures, got here up with two blocks of Holmgren on the identical possession to maintain the lead at six.
Indiana acquired one other cease, and Siakam lit up the stadium for good with a simple basket that gave the Pacers a 112-104 lead with 69 seconds left.
McConnell was seemingly all over the place, and he got here up with large defensive performs all sport.
He ripped off Caruso’s bullet inbounds go with two palms at point-blank vary beneath the basket and pumped in a layup to tie the sport at 95 early within the fourth quarter.
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Mathurin cashed a trey off a McConnell help, placing the Pacers up 98-96.
After sitting the primary 4:56 within the fourth quarter, Haliburton returned to the ground, took a handoff on the prime of the important thing, stopped, squared and splashed his fourth 3-pointer of the sport for a 101-98 lead with 6:42 remaining.
Indiana’s Aaron Nembhard made a 12-foot jumper from the left elbow and the Pacers acquired it again after a missed 3-point try, taking a landing lead (107-100) on Obi Toppin’s two-hand dunk off of a miss with 4:23 to go.
Nesmith caught a skip go on the appropriate wing and drained a trey on Indiana’s subsequent possession for an eight-point lead.
McConnell hit a operating right-handed layup between two clutch buckets by Mathurin because the Pacers stayed shut, down 93-91, with 10 minutes to play.
Oklahoma Metropolis had surged forward for its largest lead of the second half — 89-84 — to finish the third quarter. Williams hit a protracted 3-pointer got here after an and-1 baseline dunk by Holmgren, who moved via the swiping palms of McConnell to complete.
Williams performed loads of the sport with the ball in his palms because the Pacers labored to maintain Gilgeous-Alexander in verify.
McConnell leads NBA reserves in assists per sport within the playoffs (4.1).