The Indiana Pacers rallied to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, taking a 2-1 series lead. Head coach Rick Carlisle lauded his team’s resilience and depth in a lively postgame press conference at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“This is the kind of team that we are,” Carlisle said. “We need everybody to be ready.”
Bennedict Mathurin (27 points) and T.J. McConnell (10 points, five steals) ignited the bench. “TJ brought a competitive will,” Carlisle noted. “Mathurin jumped in and was aggressive.”
The Pacers’ second unit outscored OKC’s bench 49-18. “This is how we’ve got to do it,” Carlisle emphasized. “We make it as hard as possible on them.”
Tyrese Haliburton delivered 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds. “His approach was exactly what it needed to be,” Carlisle said. “Spatial awareness and aggression.”
Pascal Siakam’s early scoring kept Indiana alive. “Pascal scored the first six points on tough shots,” Carlisle praised. “He was terrific.”
Myles Turner, battling illness, stepped up defensively in the fourth. “Myles is under the weather,” Carlisle revealed. “He took a reset and came back ready.”
T.J. McConnell’s historic steals disrupted OKC. “TJ brings unique elements,” Carlisle said. “He inspires our team a lot.”
Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard hounded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “They’re giving full-capacity effort,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to keep platooning people on him.”
The crowd, including legends like Reggie Miller, fueled the fourth-quarter surge. “They were everything we hoped for,” Carlisle said. “It went up a few decibels.”
Mathurin’s return from last year’s injury was key. “He was counting the days to be ready,” Carlisle noted. “Tonight, he was a major factor.”
Indiana’s identity shone in the 32-18 fourth-quarter edge. “We’ve put in incredible work defensively,” Carlisle said. “Our guys made the investment.”
The Pacers’ 10-game win streak after losses shows their grit. Historically, Game 3 winners after a 1-1 Finals split win the title 80.5% of the time.
Carlisle urged focus for Game 4 on Friday. “This was a great win,” he said. “We’ve got to turn the page quickly.”
