Resilient Mathurin stars in Pacers win
Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball over Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in game three of the NBA Finals (POOL)
Bennedict Mathurin's game-changing performance in game three of the NBA Finals felt like a long time coming, but the 22-year-old Canadian made sure he was ready when the opportunity arrived.
Mathurin came off the bench to score 27 points in Indiana's 116-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, which gave the Pacers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.
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In 22:24 minutes on court through the second and fourth quarters, Mathurin was a brutally efficient nine-of 12 from the field, making two of his three three-point attempts and seven of eight free-throws, adding in four rebounds an assist and a blocked shot for good measure.
"Just staying ready," Mathurin said. "Whenever my number is called, go into the game and do the right things and try to help my team win -- that's the whole mindset."
Mathurin is playing in the playoffs for the first time, after watching the Pacers' run to the Eastern Conference finals from the bench in the wake of season-ending surgery in March of 2024.
Even then, the Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, the 22-year-old Canadian was looking ahead.
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"He was with the team. He just wasn't playing," Carlisle recalled. "He took a lot of notes, a lot of mental notes, and he may have written some things down.
"I do know that after he sustained the injury, it was either in February or early March, you can order these calendars that start on a specific day and then they count days.
"So there was a calendar sitting in our training room and every day he would come in and take one off, take one off. He was counting the days down to being cleared sometime in August and then be able to begin training camp, begin five-on-five with our guys in September and then be in training camp, really, with his eyes firmly set on an opportunity in the playoffs.
"So he's putting a lot of work to be ready for these moments, and tonight he was an absolute major factor."
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Mathurin said he was "fortunate to learn a lot" in what was an unfortunate situation last year but he admitted that it wasn't easy.
Playing in the Finals, in front of the intense fans in Indianapolis, "is a dream" but one he doesn't want to get caught up in.
"I'm not trying to live in my dream," he said. "I'm trying to live in the present and make sure the dream ends well, which means winning next game and winning a championship."
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