Pacers fourth quarter finish earns 2-1 lead over the Thunder

The Pacers took Game 3 of the NBA Finals, making the last run stick in a back and forth affair with the Thunder.

The Pacers bounced back from a frustrating Game 2 loss and effort in OKC, to beat the Thunder 116-107 and take a 2-1 lead in the Finals with Game 4 pending on Friday night at the Fieldhouse.

The Pacers didn’t just have to bounce back from the overall stinker in Game 2, they also had to bounce back in the fourth quarter after ceding control of the game to the Thunder in the third quarter.

And bounce back they did, delivering a scintillating effort at both ends of the floor that had the Fieldhouse faithful in a frenzy no one in attendance will ever forget. Like, forever ever.

The game started with the Pacers struggling to keep pace early, leaning on Pascal Siakam to score the first six points for the home team on some tough midrange shots in the paint. Early foul issues and the clunky start had Carlisle turning to the bench early and often and to a man, they answered the call to eventually be the difference.

Siakam delivered his usual baseline excellence with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists a couple of steals and a block. Tyrese Haliburton ramped up his production getting a couple of runners to go early and then hitting 4 of 8 threes to finish with 22 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds. Haliburton was also noticeable for his strong effort at the defensive end where he was floating around quite a bit in help situation with a few deflections, 2 steals and a block.

In Game 2, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins combined for 38 points to play a key role in the double-digit win for Thunder. In Game 3, the Pacers enjoyed 37 points from Bennedict Mathurin (27) and TJ McConnell (10) as the reserves outscored the Thunder bench, 49-18 while also triggering a passionate hoops festival atmosphere among the home fans.

Scoring against the Thunders is not easy and Mathurin has the ability to get going against any defense, even if not in the usual flow the Pacers utilize. But there was plenty of flow to Mathurin, scoring at all three levels and making 7 of 8 free throws to score 27 points in 22 minutes, the most in the Finals in that few minutes and also the first time for a bench player since Jet Terry scored 27 while playing a huge role for Rick Carlisle and the Mavericks.

McConnell brought all of this positive intangibles to the floor scoring 10 points with 5 assists and 5 steals. Also, a first for a bench player with the 5 assists and 5 steals. Three of those steals were classic ‘McConnells’ swiping the inbounds pass after a make.

The two ‘McConnells’ in the first half helped fuel a 40-point second quarter that had the Fieldhouse on fire as the Pacers rallied (for the first time) to take a 64-60 lead to the half as the Pacers had the game being played on their terms.

That didn’t last long after the break when the Thunder opened with an 8-0 run to begin a third quarter that had all of the makings of a painful finish for the Pacers. The Thunder took back control of the game, winning the third quarter 29-20 as the made 4 of 8 threes and seemingly every finish near the rim. Meanwhile, the Pacers caught a case of the clanks, making just 1 of 9 from 3-land and just 7 of 21 shots overall. The Pacers went to winning time down, 89-84.

But, again, the bench and the Fieldhouse faithful weren’t going out like that as the reserve group flipped the game, erasing the deficit to begin what turned into a legendary fourth quarter at the Fieldhouse. Mathurin scored 10 of his 27 in the fourth quarter and McConnell had two of his steals, including his third ‘McConnell’ which was a point blank steal of a Caruso inbound pass which he quickly scored to tie the game at 95-95. McConnell’s impact was nothing short of spectacular (aside from a couple of rough turnovers) but what it remarkable is how many impactful plays he made in just 15 minutes of time. Seemed like he play closer to 30.

Also, have to mention Ben Sheppard’s effort guarding SGA when Nembhard and Nesmith had to go to the bench. SGA finished with ‘just’ 24 points, but more importantly had to work for everything through a physical Nembhard effort and Sheppard hounding him all over the floor. Shep even made a couple of buckets when he usually looks to pass, knocking down a midrange shot and then finishing in traffic near the rim over Isaiah Hartenstein. Big bench night.

The Pacers starters closed the game strong with plays at both ends by all five and Obi Toppin after Aaron Nesmith fouled out. The signature play down the stretch came on a missed runner from the left side by Haliburton that had the crowd watching Haliburton and hoping for a foul. But before anyone could complain, Toppin was 12 feet off the floor flying over Lu Dort to dunk home the rebound. It seemed like Toppin flew in from the rafters and after the emphatic finish all of the rafters were rattling with the eruption from the faithful.

The noise was on a different level, pure madness realizing what Toppin had just done and the fact the Pacers were suddenly up by seven points. This was happening! A sweet cross-court pass to Nesmith who snapped off a quick three that banged in, put the Pacers up 110-102 with under three minutes to go.

The Pacers won the race to 110, but there would be moments of fret, like a Haliburton turnover leading to a Caruso run out and foul by Nesmith. But a signature defensive play by Myles Turner helped seal the deal. Turner blocked a Chet Holmgren 3-ball attempt and then got him again at the rim on the same play. Turner sounded horrible during media interviews on Tuesday and Carlisle admitted that he was sick which would account for less than stellar play earlier in the game. BUT…when it mattered most down the stretch, Turner dug deep and delivered on the defensive end.

Fittingly, the dagger play of the game came via a strong team defensive stop. Pascal Siakam used his length to give a strong contest on a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander perimeter shot which bounced. Then Nembhard won a fight for the rebound with Holmgren. As Nembhard pushed the ball to Haliburton, Siakam was running ahead of SGA in transition. Haliburton pushed the ball to Siakam who pump faked past SGA for an easy layup. From there the Pacers just had to take care of the ball and that they did.

The win put the Pacers up 2-1 and the crowd was nowhere near ready to calm down. What a night at the Fieldhouse! Local legends all over the place including Reggie Miller with two of his kids, sitting courtside in a Mark Jackson jersey (Jackson was also in a suite). Next to Reg, Crispus Attucks legend, Oscar Robertson enjoyed the Pacers win. Edgerrin James, Alex Palou and of course, Caitlin Clark were in the ‘House. Pat McAfee took to the mic to turn the place up in the fourth quarter and the Pacers responded in kind. Honestly, the place was madness from start to finish, inside and out as folk exited the building to spread the joy up and down Pennsylvania street.

But that was one game, with Game 4 on Friday night after only one day off. The Thunder appeared worn down late in the fourth as the Pacers put away the win. SGA played 42 minutes, while Lu Dort and Jalen Williams both played 36 minutes. Haliburton played 36, but the early foul trouble and impactful bench minutes allowed Carlisle to spread out the minutes. While not his intention, the circumstances created a fortuitous situation to keep any players from doing too much heavy lifting.

The Thunder have been just as good as the Pacers in bounce back situations so expecting nothing less than the Pacers needing the full rotation to show up ready to play their role at an elite level and get to crunch time with a chance to win. The Pacers are +27 so far in the fourth quarter, so when they keep it close the Pacers show up well at crunch time.

Regardless of what has gone well or poorly for the Pacers thus far in series, they are two winsTom Lewis

away from winning a championship but have no room to exhale. Just stick to the process that has them in this position and be ready to spill their guts for 48 minutes. Same for the fans at the Fieldhouse on Friday.

Can’t wait!

NBA FINALS Game 4: Pacers vs. Thunder

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

When: Friday, June 13, 2025 - 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ABC

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers +6

Projected Starters

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren

Injuries

Pacers: Jarace Walker (ankle) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out

Thunder: Nikola Topic (knee) - out