Pacers bounce back to sink Thunder for 2-1 Finals lead
Pacers bounce back to sink Thunder for 2-1 Finals lead
Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 27 points off the bench. Photo: Reuters
The Indiana Pacers bounced back to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 and take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.
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.
"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," he added.
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. (AFP)
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