NBA Finals Game 3 updates: Thunder vs Pacers predictions, time, where to watch
NBA Finals Game 3 updates: Thunder vs Pacers predictions, time, where to watch
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Pacers' Game 3 adjustments
To bounce back in Game 3, the Pacers need better starts, transition offense, and a plan for Shai.
We're all tied up in the 2025 NBA Finals.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-107 in Game 2 on Sunday to even up the championship series as it shifts to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Following his 38-point performance in the Thunder's Game 1 loss, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for 34 points in Game 2 win. During the win, Gilgeous-Alexander became the 12th player in NBA history to score 3,000 points in the regular season and postseason, joining the likes of Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Is another big game in store for the 2025 NBA MVP?
Meanwhile, Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton has struggled to get going in the 2025 NBA Finals so far. Despite scoring the go-ahead field goal to steal Game 1 from the Thunder, Haliburton has been limited to 14 points in Game 1 and 17 points in Game 2.
It all adds up to a must-see Game 3. USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest updates, highlights, wild plays, analysis and more throughout the game. Follow along.
What time is Thunder vs Pacers game today?
The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Indiana Pacers for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Where to watch Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 3
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
8:30 p.m. ET Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana) TV: ABC
ABC Stream: Fubo, Sling TV
Watch the NBA Finals with Fubo
Where is Game 3 between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder?
The Indiana Pacers host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
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USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplays any fatigue concerns after Game 3 loss to Pacers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplays any fatigue concerns after Game 3 loss to Pacers Putting his hands on his knees, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked tired out in the final minutes of the Oklahoma City Thunder's 116-107 Game 3 loss to the Indiana Pacers. If you zoomed in enough, you could see the Gatorade symbol underneath his sneakers. A lot has been made about the Pacers' rapid pace. They've outrun teams in the gym. That's been a key component to their improbable 2-1 series lead in the 2025 NBA Finals. Two wins away from an all-time upset, they have the entire NBA world puzzled. Even with two days off, Gilgeous-Alexander was on fumes. The Pacers smelled blood in the water. They won the fourth quarter with a 32-18 score to mount a late comeback. They've won all three fourth quarters through three games of this championship series. That's been highlighted with Tyrese Haliburton's Game 1 game-winner. Never playing professional basketball this deep in the summer, Gilgeous-Alexander refuses ot use fatigue as an excuse for his forgettable 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting performance. He understands he must be better in Game 4, which is the biggest game of the Thunder's current window. "Yeah, you got to suck it up. There's a maximum four games left in the season. It's what you worked the whole season for. It's what you worked all summer for," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win." The Thunder will go as far as Gilgeous-Alexander carries them. He was unstoppable through the first two games of the series. But Game 3 was the first time the Pacers drew blood from the MVP winner. Andrew Nembhard helped slow him down with a pedestrian outing. Gilgeous-Alexander has to battle through any signs of fatigue with just one day between Games 3 and 4. The Thunder enter a do-or-die scenario that could determine how this championship series shakes out.
27 minutes ago
Pacers aren't celebrating, Thunder aren't panicking as sides reset for Game 4 of the NBA Finals
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers aren't celebrating. The Oklahoma City Thunder aren't panicking. The NBA Finals scoreboard is what it is — Pacers 2, Thunder 1 — going into Game 4 of the best-of-seven title series on Friday night. Everybody can count to four, and everybody can see that Indiana is in a better position right now than Oklahoma City, But the Pacers know if they were to partake in such thinking, that would be dangerous. 'There's nothing to get excited about right now,' Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'We're still a long way away.' An even-keeled approach, for certain. The Thunder are going about business the same way. 'I just think we stay pretty emotionally even in all of the different experiences,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'You really see that when we win. I think if you're going to get high on the wins, then the natural opposite of that is to get low on the losses. This team doesn't really swing violently between those two things. Never has.' Indiana grabbed control of the series on Wednesday night in a 116-107 win, a game in which the Pacers' bench — led by Bennedict Mathurin's 27 points in 22 minutes and T.J. McConnell's 10 points, five assists and five steals in 15 minutes — outscored Oklahoma City's reserves 49-18. The Thunder starters were more than fine in Game 3: Oklahoma City opened the game with a 15-6 run, then started the third quarter — with the starters all on the floor — with an 8-0 burst. Add up those 7 minutes of play, and it was Thunder 23, Pacers 6. Add up the other 41 minutes of the game, and it was Pacers 110, Thunder 84. 'It's got to be a killer edge to beat these guys," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'We're going to be an underdog in every game in this series. ... It's a daunting challenge. Anything less than a total grit mindset, we just don't have a chance.' If Oklahoma City finds a way Friday, it goes home with a 2-2 series tie and two of the final three games of the series set to be played in its building. A loss, and it's 3-1 — the sort of hole that few teams in NBA history have escaped. 'I think just the competitive greatness for this team has to be at an all-time high,' Thunder guard Alex Caruso said. 'To be able to go on the road and win a game is a difficult thing in the playoffs, but especially staring 3-1 down in the face. You got to really get your mind right and get ready for the preparation that it's going to take to go out there and compete for 48 minutes and get the win.' Myles Turner, who had five blocks for Indiana in Game 3, including two against Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren with about 2 minutes left — first a 3-pointer and then a 6-footer on the same possession — is dealing with an illness. Turner was with the Pacers for film on Thursday and then was sent home. It seems like Indiana expect that he will play in Game 4. Indiana hasn't lost back-to-back games in three months. Oklahoma City hasn't done so in two months. The Thunder are 6-0 after losses since early April, 5-0 after losses in these playoffs. 'There's a maximum four games left in the season,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'It's what you worked the whole season for. It's what you worked all summer for. To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win.' In five games against Oklahoma City this season, Haliburton has been fouled in the act of shooting just once — in the first half of a Thunder-Pacers game on March 29. He has not taken a free throw in this series. He's the first player to log at least 109 minutes in the first three games of a finals and not take a single free throw since Miami's Mario Chalmers in 2012 — also against the Thunder. In this current 16-team playoff format that dates back to 1984, Indiana is the sixth team to have a 2-1 lead in all four of its postseason series. The others were the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2020, Boston in 2008, Detroit in 2004 and San Antonio in 2003. All five of those teams went on to win the NBA title. 'We got great leaders on this team, the coaches and players who keep us on track with everything. We're comfortable in close games. At the end of games, as well. We just trust our work, trust we got to get the ball into our guards' hands and they're going to make good plays.' — Pacers forward Obi Toppin.
Boston Globe
29 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
The Thunder are in familiar territory in NBA Finals, trailing in the best-of-seven series after Game 3
'I thought it was an uncharacteristic night in a lot of ways for us,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'We got to learn from it and then tap back into being who we are in Game 4. If we do that, I think we'll have a much better chance to win.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It was not very Thunder-like in Game 3. They blew a fourth quarter lead for the second time in the series, gave up 21 points off turnovers and let the Pacers' bench run wild — outscoring the OKC reserves 49-18. Advertisement 'We'll watch it. It wasn't all bad,' Daigneault said. 'But we definitely have to play our style and impose our will for more of the 48 minutes if we want to come on the road and get a win.' There are uncanny similarities between the first three games of this series and the first three games of the Western Conference semifinal matchup between Oklahoma City and Denver. Advertisement ▪ In Game 1 of the West semifinals, Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with about 3 seconds left to give the Nuggets a win in Oklahoma City. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Tyrese Haliburton hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a win in Oklahoma City. ▪ In Game 2 of the West semifinals, the Thunder evened things up with an easy win. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Thunder evened things up with an easy win. ▪ In Game 3 of the West semifinals, Denver — at home for the first time in that series — played from behind most of the night before fighting into overtime and eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Indiana — at home for the first time in the series — trailed for much of the first half before eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead. The Thunder dug their way out of that hole against the Nuggets. And now, the same task awaits — with an NBA title at stake. 'I wouldn't say that now is the time for emotions, to be thinking about how you're feeling, emotional this, emotional that,' said Thunder forward Chet Holmgren . 'You kind of have to cut that out and look at the substance of what it is. We have a great opportunity here and the great thing is we have another game coming up, Game 4.' Indiana hasn't lost back-to-back games in three months. Oklahoma City hasn't done so in two months. The Thunder are 6-0 after losses since early April, 5-0 after losses in these playoffs. Advertisement 'There's a maximum four games left in the season,' said Shea Gilgeous-Alexander . 'It's what you worked the whole season for. It's what you worked all summer for. To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win.' Turner update Pacers center Myles Turner , who had five blocks for Indiana in Game 3, including two against Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren with about 2 minutes left — first on a 3-pointer and then on a 6-footer on the same possession — is dealing with an illness. Turner was with the Pacers for film on Thursday and then was sent home. It seems Indiana is expecting he will play in Game 4. Haliburton's free throws In five games against Oklahoma City this season, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has been fouled in the act of shooting just once — in the first half of a Thunder-Pacers game on March 29. He has not taken a free throw in this series. He's the first player to log at least 109 minutes in the first three games of a finals and not take a single free throw since Miami's Mario Chalmers in 2012 — also against the Thunder. In the lead again In this current 16-team playoff format that dates back to 1984, Indiana is the sixth team to have a 2-1 lead in all four of its postseason series. The others were the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2020, Boston in 2008, Detroit in 2004 and San Antonio in 2003. All five of those teams went on to win the NBA title.
