Haliburton, Pacers Bounce Back to Take Lead in NBA Finals
Haliburton, Pacers Bounce Back to Take 2-1 Lead in NBA Finals Over Thunder
INDIANAPOLIS–The Indiana Pacers overcame an early deficit and closed the game strong to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis Wednesday night 116-107. They now lead this best-of-seven series 2-1.
This was the first time the Pacers franchise hosted an NBA Finals game in 25 years.
After struggling in Game 2 where he entered the 4th quarter with only 5 points and finished with 17, Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 points and dished out 10 assists to go along with 9 rebounds.
The leading scorer for Indiana, however, was Bennedict Mathurin with 27 points. He made 9 of his 12 shot attempts.
Trailing by eight after the first quarter, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 40-28 to lead 64-60 at halftime, but Oklahoma City regained the lead at the end of the third quarter 89-84.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Pacers, though. They outscored the Thunder in the fourth and final period 32-18. Indiana’s bench outscored the Thunder bench 49-18.
Game 4 is Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tipoff at 8:30. You can hear it on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.
