Pacers bounce back to down Thunder for 2-1 NBA Finals lead
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton shoots over Oklahoma City's Cason Wallace during the Pacers game three win (Maddie Meyer)
The Indiana Pacers bounced back to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 and take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 27 points off the bench and Tyrese Haliburton finished with 22 as the Pacers shrugged off Sunday's emphatic game-two loss to reignite their finals challenge.
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"We love playing in front of our fans," Haliburton said. "We love being here. They deserve high-stakes, high-level basketball and we're giving them that right now.
"So it's a big win for us. Enjoy it, but we've got a day in between this so we've got to be ready for game four."
A gripping encounter at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis saw the lead change hands nine times before the Pacers produced a decisive late burst of scoring.
The Pacers outscored the Thunder 32-18 in the fourth quarter to seal a crucial win in the best-of-seven series.
Oklahoma City's NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points from nine-of-20 shooting while Jalen Williams led the Thunder scorers with 26 points.
Game four takes place in Indianapolis on Friday with the Pacers chasing a 3-1 lead as they bid to claim a first NBA Finals crown.
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