SportsOrbit

The Indiana Pacers’ first NBA championship is one win closer thanks to a pair of historic bench efforts in Wednesday’s 116-107 Game 3 victory over the Thunder. Bennedict Mathurin scored a game-high 27 points in just 22 minutes and 12 attempts. He became the youngest player to score 25 or more points off the bench in an NBA Finals game since 1970-71, when starting lineups were first extensively documented. Prior to Mathurin’s performance in Game 3, the last player to score 27 points off the bench in an NBA Finals game was Jason Terry of Dallas in 2011, who did so in the title-clinching Game 6 triumph over Miami. Rick Carlisle is the coach of the Mavericks club. Rick Carlisle is the coach of this Pacers team. Mathurin’s effort helped Indiana stay within striking distance — and even ahead — of the top-seeded Thunder in the first Finals game held in Indiana since 2000. With star point guard Tyrese Haliburton resting, Mathurin took over the Pacers’ offense in the fourth quarter. The former sixth-round pick helped turn a five-point deficit into a brief two-point advantage before Haliburton re-entered the game. The effort is the latest high point in Mathurin’s roller-coaster postseason, in which his production and playing time have fluctuated dramatically. The 22-year-old swingman scored five points in 16 minutes in Game 1, nearly a week after sandwiching back-to-back 20-point performances with two points in Game 3 and four in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Mathurin has had four 20-point performances in the playoffs. Thunder knew he was capable. “He seemed to have a game like this in each series. “He’s a talented player,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault stated. “He was quite forceful. He did an excellent job. McConnell did an excellent job. Their bench played quite well.” Backup point guard T.J. McConnell has had significantly more consistent playing time, but he had an unexpectedly large impact on the box score and outcome in Game 3. The 33-year-old veteran frustrated the Thunder with his relentless defensive and consistent dribble penetration, finishing with 10 points, five assists, and five steals in 15 minutes. McConnell is the only player in NBA history to go at least 10-5-5 off the bench in a Finals game since 1973-74, when steals became an official statistic. “Getting a win in the playoffs and the Finals is extremely difficult,” McConnell remarked. “Obviously delighted with this one, but I need to move forward. “I still need to correct some things and make some adjustments.” Obi Toppin (eight points, six rebounds, and two blocks) also contributed significantly 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,” stated Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “We need everybody to be prepared. It won’t always be the same players who step up with scores and such. But this is how we have to do it.” “We just had guys make plays after plays,” Haliburton explained. “Our bench was amazing.”