00:00Indiana bench shines as Pacers overtake Thunder late for 2-1 lead in NBA Finals.
00:05Leave it to Indiana's bench to swing the biggest game of the season.
00:08With the starters fading and the game hanging in the balance,
00:11Benedict Mathurin and TJ McConnell turned Gainbridge Fieldhouse into a madhouse,
00:16leading the Pacers past the Thunder 1-16-1-07 on Wednesday night to seize a 2-1 lead in the NBA.
00:22Finals.
00:24Mathurin poured in 27 points off the bench, and McConnell was all over the court.
00:28Diving for loose balls, snatching steals, dishing dimes,
00:33as Indiana overwhelmed Oklahoma City with a 32-18 fourth quarter.
00:38The Pacers outscored the Thunder 49-18 in bench points and closed the game on a 22-8 run,
00:43flipping a 5-point deficit into a win that puts them two victories from their first NBA title.
00:49We just had guys make plays after plays, said Tyrese Halliburton.
00:54Our bench was amazing.
00:55Halliburton finished with 22 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds.
00:59Pascal Siakam added 21 points and the basket that all but sealed it.
01:04A smooth drive to the rim with 1-0-9 left to stretch Indiana's lead to 112 for 1-0-4.
01:10The Thunder, who had taken an 89-84 lead into the fourth quarter,
01:14were outplayed and out-executed down the stretch.
01:16They shot just 35.3% in the final period, went 0-for-4 from 3-point range and committed 5 turnovers.
01:25Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 26 points.
01:28Shea Gilgius Alexander added 24 more.
01:31And Chet Holmgren had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
01:34But went 0-for-6 from deep Indiana's bench provided the burst.
01:37McConnell tied the game at 95 early in the fourth by intercepting Alex Caruso's inbounds pass under the basket and flipping in a layup.
01:46On the next trip, he fed Matherin for a corner three to give Indiana the lead.
01:49After a brief rest, Halliburton, re-entered, took a handoff at the top of the key and drilled his fourth triple of the night to make it 101-98 with 6.42 left.
02:01Then came a barrage.
02:03Andrew Nempard's elbow jumper,
02:06Obi Toppin's put-back dunk,
02:08Aaron Nesmith's skip-pass three,
02:10and another Mithurin floater.
02:12The Pacers had turned a track meet into a runaway,
02:15thanks to Mithurin's scoring and McConnell's defensive activity.
02:18He finished with 10 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals.
02:23Indiana controlled the tempo and outworked Oklahoma City in the moments that mattered most.
02:28So many different guys chipped in, Halliburton said.
02:32McConnell also made plays earlier in the fourth,
02:35hitting a running right-handed layup between two buckets from Matherin to keep Indiana close at 93-91.
02:41When the Pacers finally broke through, they never gave the lead back.
02:45Still, Oklahoma City had one last shot.
02:48With 2.35 remaining in Indiana up 1-10, 1-0-2,
02:52Caruso stole a pass and darted into the open court.
02:56As he stepped into the paint,
02:58Nesmith met him with a hard two-handed foul that sent Caruso sprawling.
03:02Officials reviewed the play, but ultimately,
03:05ruled it a common foul.
03:07Caruso made both free throws,
03:09and on the next play,
03:10Miles Turner lost the ball out of bounds.
03:12But Turner quickly atoned,
03:14stuffing Holmgren twice at the rim on the ensuing possession.
03:18Indiana got another stop,
03:19and Siakam's layup put the game away for good.
03:22The win extended a remarkable trend.
03:25The Pacers are now 10-0 since mid-March in games following a loss.
03:29Oklahoma City had used a late third quarter burst,
03:32highlighted by
03:33a Williams step-back three and Holmgren's and one baseline dunk
03:36to take their largest lead of the half.
03:39But they couldn't keep Indiana's bench
03:41contained in the Pacers' first home NBA Finals game since 2000.
03:46Game four is Friday night in Indianapolis,
03:48where the Pacers can take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
03:51Historically, teams that win game three
03:54of a tied NBA Finals have gone on to win the title 80.5% of the time.
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