Bennedict Mathurin scores 27 points, while T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin combine for 18 in Indiana's 116-107 victory over OKC in Game 3.
The Indiana Pacers’ first NBA championship is one win closer to reality thanks to a pair of unprecedented performances from their bench in Wednesday’s 116-107 Game 3 win over the Thunder.
Bennedict Mathurin torched Oklahoma City for a game-high 27 points in just 22 minutes and on 12 shot attempts. He became the youngest player to score 25 points or more off the bench in an NBA Finals game since 1970-71, when starting player designations were first fully recorded.
Before Mathurin did it in Game 3, the last player who scored 27 points off the bench in an NBA Finals game was Jason Terry for Dallas in 2011 — doing so in the Game 6 title-clinching win over Miami.
The coach of that Mavs team: Rick Carlisle. The coach of this Pacers team: Rick Carlisle.
Mathurin’s play helped Indiana stay within striking distance — and even pull ahead — of the top-seeded Thunder during the first Finals game Indiana had hosted since 2000. With star point guard Tyrese Haliburton resting, Mathurin took control of the Pacers’ offense to start the fourth quarter. The former sixth overall pick helped turn a five-point deficit into a brief two-point lead before Haliburton re-entered the game.
BENN MATHURIN LEADS ALL SCORERS!
🏁 27 PTS (playoff career high)
🏁 9-12 FGM
🏁 Youngest player to score 25+ PTS off the bench in the Finals (since recorded in 1970-71)@Pacers take a 2-1 NBA Finals lead 👏 pic.twitter.com/delHSkcuac— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2025
The performance punctuates the latest peak in a roller-coaster postseason for Mathurin, who has seen his production and playing time fluctuate wildly. The 22-year-old swingman scored five points in 16 minutes in Game 1, roughly a week after sandwiching back-to-back 20-point games with two points in Game 3 and four points in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Mathurin has had four 20-point games in these playoffs. The Thunder knew he had the capability.
“He seems to have a game like this in every series. He’s a talented player,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “He was really aggressive. He did a great job. McConnell did a great job. Their bench really came in the game and was excellent.”
Backup point guard T.J. McConnell has seen far steadier playing time, but made an unusually large impact on the box score and the outcome in Game 3. The 33-year-old veteran flustered the Thunder with his pestering defense and constant dribble penetration, finishing with 10 points, five assists and five steals in 15 minutes of play.
McConnell becomes the first player in NBA history to record at least 10-5-5 off the bench in a Finals game since 1973-74, when steals first became an official statistic.
T.J. MCCONNELL: ALL HEART, ALL HUSTLE
😤 10 PTS
😤 5 AST
😤 5 STLFirst player since 1973-74 to record these numbers off the bench in a Finals game 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/sKcwp9U1d4
— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2025
“Just getting a win in general in the playoffs and in the Finals, it’s really hard,” McConnell said. “So, obviously, happy about this one, but have to move on. Have to still correct some stuff and make some adjustments.”
Obi Toppin (eight points, six rebounds, two blocks) also made key contributions off the bench for the Pacers, who now lead the Thunder 2-1 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.
“This is the kind of team that we are,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “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’ve got to do it.”
“We just had guys make plays after plays,” Haliburton added. “Our bench was amazing.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
