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Nightly Pulse: NBA Finals Game 3 Live Blog

Keep up with Game 3 of the NBA Finals as the Pacers host the Thunder. Follow along for live updates, highlights and more.

NBA.com Staff

🏀 NBA Finals Game 3 score

Indiana Pacers 116, Oklahoma City Thunder 107

📋Top NBA Finals Game 3 takeaways 📋

  • Pacers take 2-1 series lead: Game 3 is always an important game. It’s the chance for the home team to establish the tone in its own building. Game 3’s also carry important historical weight, as the winner goes on to win over 80 percent of the time. That 2-1 advantage now belongs to Indiana, which gets to host Game 4 on Friday.
  • Home sweet home: The Pacers had plenty of pressure on them coming into tonight. Lose Game 3 and they cede the homecourt advantage they had wrestled from the Thunder in Game 1. A loss would have also given Oklahoma City even more confidence going into Game 4. Well, the Pacers responded from a humbling Game 2 with a complete effort Wednesday. Tyrese Haliburton did exactly what he needed to with 22 points and 11 assists. Pascal Siakam had another strong outing with 21 points. And Bennedict Mathurin stepped up as the unexpected hero off the bench with 27 points. The Pacers are now 8-2 at home this postseason.
  • Gut check time for OKC: The Thunder find themselves in a precarious spot, staring down a potential 3-1 deficit by the time they return home for Game 5. Oklahoma City showed flashes of what helped them bank an easy win in Game 2, but turnovers and defensive letdowns proved to be too costly. OKC turned it over 17 times, including an uncharacteristic six from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They also didn’t get the Pacers’ offense out of rhythm the way they did at home. Indiana shot 51.2 percent from the floor and 59.2 percent on two-pointers. That will need to be cleaned up Friday night if the Thunder are going to tie the series at two games apiece.

🥇Top NBA Finals Game 3 performers

  • Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers: Playoff career-high 27 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 7-8 FT), four rebounds, one block in win over Thunder.
  • Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers: 22 points (9-17 FG, 4-8 3Pt) 11 assists, nine rebounds, two steals, one block in win over Thunder.
  • Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder: 26 points (9-17 FG, 7-11 FT), six rebounds, three assists in loss to Pacers.
  • T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers: 10 points, five steals, five assists in 15 minutes off the bench in win over Thunder.

😲 Pacers take Game 3, lead series 2-1

Pacers 116, Thunder 107

Game 3 is always a pivotal inflection point in a series. When a Finals matchup is tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 has gone on to win the Finals 80.5 percent of the time. Both teams knew the stakes, but it was the home team Pacers who executed at the crucial junctures and came away victorious.

This sequence from Myles Turner was emblematic of what’s gotten the Pacers here. Relentless effort and an ability to rise to the occasion.

It was truly anyone’s game going into the fourth quarter. The Thunder ended the third quarter on a heater to take a five-point lead into the final period. But just as the Pacers did after trailing going into the second, they snapped into another gear in the fourth. Indiana outscored OKC 32-18 in the final period and 16-7 over the final six minutes.

Indiana got the big game from Tyrese Haliburton that fans had been clamoring for, but this was a total team effort from the Pacers. Haliburton had 22 points and 11 rebounds. That brings the Pacers’ record to 9-1 this postseason when he records 10 or more assists. Bennedict Mathurin had the game of his life with 27 points off the bench. He singlehandedly outscored the Thunder’s bench unit.

The Pacers now have a 2-1 lead going into Friday’s Game 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

⌛One minute to go…

Pacers 112, Thunder 104

The clock is ticking for the Thunder to get back into striking distance. The Pacers have outscored them 11-5 since the 6:00 mark. Get to ABC to catch the end of Game 3.

🚀 Toppin. Hoppin’

We don’t have words for this Obi Toppin putback so we’re just gonna step aside and let you enjoy it.

The Pacers now lead by eight with three minutes to go. Catch the finish on ABC.

😤 Hoosier State hustle

T.J. McConnell has been all over the floor tonight and has five steals to go with his 10 points and five assists. Check out his second under-the-basket steal of the night, which he instantly turned into two more points for the Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton is shining under the bright lights, too. Peep the go-ahead three here to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Pacers lead by one with just over 5:00 to go. Get to ABC

🍿 Fourth quarter. Five-point game.

Thunder 89, Pacers 84

It was a back-and-forth third quarter that started with a big Thunder run answered by a Pacers push of their own. As we’ve seen all season, though, the Thunder can change a game in the blink of an eye.

The Thunder trailed by one with 35 seconds to go before Chet Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk. OKC didn’t stop there and added four more points in the waning moments to stake claim to a five-point lead as we head to the fourth quarter.

Buckle up.

⚡Thunder storm out of the gate, Pacers punch back

The Thunder were outscored by 12 in the second quarter and trailed at the half. They’ve erased that deficit with an 8-2 start to the second half. The Thunder are 4-for-7 from the field in the third.

Jalen Williams is 3-for-3 in the period and up to a game-high 17 points.

That Thunder lead was short-lived though as the Pacers answered back and reclaimed the advantage. A frantic pace is being established so far in the third and we’ve got the makings of another close game brewing in Indianapolis.

💪 Pacers take lead into halftime

Pacers 64, Thunder 60

Down eight after the first quarter, the Pacers dug deep and put together their biggest quarter of the finals thus far in terms of total points. The Pacers poured in 40 points in the second and shot 61% from the floor to take a 64-60 lead into the break.

A driving factor behind the halftime score has been the bench performance on both sides. The Pacers’ reserves, led by Bennedict Mathurin’s 14 points, have scored 30 points while the Thunder bench has mustered just nine points.

Tyrese Haliburton’s ability to get into a groove tonight was a major storyline coming into Game 3, and he is delivering so far. Haliburton is up to 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting to go with seven assists. Coming into tonight, the Pacers were 8-1 when Haliburton recorded 10-or-more assists in a game.

Of course, the Thunder remain well within striking distance. Chet Holmgren (15 points) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12 points) are consistently causing problems for the Indiana defense.

We’ve got a game on our hands. Catch the second half on ABC.

👀 Pacers pull in front

Indiana trailed by eight at the end of the first, but a 15-4 flurry to start the second has changed things.

Bennedict Mathurin has been the catalyst with all nine of his points coming in the first five minutes of the second. T.J. McConnell is a difference-maker on defense, too, with three steals. The Pacers’ bench is showing up big time in front of the home crowd.

Catch the end of the first half on ABC.

🤩 Stars in the building

Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever teammates are in the house supporting the Pacers.

Terry Crews is flexing the retro Pacers jersey courtside.

NBA legends Reggie Miller and Oscar Robertson are taking in the action as well.

🌩️ Thunder up after 1

Thunder 32, Pacers 24

It’s been an even game so far but the Thunder started to seize control towards the end of the first. The Pacers cut the Thunder lead to three with 2:36 to go but were outscored 7-2 the rest of the way. Both teams are shooting it well with the Thunder checking in at a 52.4 FG% and Pacers at 50%.

Indiana has been effective in limiting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thus far (6 PTS, 2-5 FG, 2-2 FT) but Chet Holmgren has stepped up with 13 points.

Tyrese Haliburton is off to a good start with five points and four assists, including this slick dime delivered to Obi Toppin.

🎵 What a pro wants. What a pro needs

Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren is off to a roaring start tonight with eight of the Thunder’s first 15 points, including this coast-to-coast finish to open the scoring.

Holmgren has combined for 21 points in the first two games of the series and looks to be on pace to challenge that total in Game 3.

The Thunder lead the Pacers 15-10 midway through the first. Catch the action now on ABC.

🍿 Pacers vs Thunder Game 3 matchup

The NBA Finals move to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis after the Pacers and Thunder split the first two games in Oklahoma City.

The Pacers snatched homecourt advantage after completing the comeback win in Game 1, but Game 2 showed that the Thunder are a force to be reckoned with. The Thunder didn’t make the same mistake twice and kept the Pacers at a safe distance throughout the fourth quarter en route to a series-tying win.

Overall, the Thunder have led for nearly the entire duration of both games. However, all that matters going into Wednesday is the 1-1 mark for both teams in the win-loss column.

While SGA has been dominant thus far, the Pacers are looking for a complete effort from its star in Tyrese Haliburton. The Thunder are throwing everything at Haliburton defensively and it’s limited his impact as both a scorer and a facilitator. Whether coach Rick Carlisle and Haliburton have devised a plan to break through that defense will be a major storyline tonight. Let’s check out the starting lineups for Game 3.

Thunder Game 3 Lineup

Pacers Game 3 Lineup

📰 NBA Finals Game 3 storylines

  • Series shifts to Indiana tied 1-1: After splitting the opening two games in OKC, the Pacers and Thunder are presented a big opportunity to take a 2-1 lead. Historically, the teams that win Game 3 with the series tied 1-1 go on to win a title 80.5 percent of the time. Gainbridge Fieldhouse has been a fortress in the postseason with the Pacers going 6-2 at home thus far. The Thunder haven’t looked mortal often this postseason, but when they have, it’s been on the road more often than not. OKC is just 4-3 in these playoffs and 2-3 since the opening round.
  • Tale of two games: The first two games of this series couldn’t have played out much more differently. The Pacers used a furious fourth quarter comeback to take Game 1 at the last second. In Game 2, the Thunder and Pacers battled in the opening period but ultimately OKC took control, leading by as many as 23 en route to a 16-point victory.
  • Which stars will shine? Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has looked every bit the Kia NBA MVP during the Finals with a record 71 combined points over his first two Finals games. Though Tyrese Haliburton stole the show in Game 1 but is still looking to have a complete outing against a Thunder defense that is doing its best to negate his impact. Haliburton has yet to reach the 20-point mark in this series.

⚽Siakam showing the versatility

Indiana’s Pascal Siakam is getting loose for Game 3, showing off some serious soccer skills. It’s hard to argue with his routine; Siakam is the Pacers’ leading scorer in the Finals thus far at 17.0 points per game.

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