Tough! Haliburton played with an injury 22+9+11, Alexander 24+8, the Thunder lost to the Pacers, and the total score was 1-2

On June 12, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA Finals G3 was moved to Indiana, and the Pacers played against the Thunder at home, which was also the second home game for the Pacers to usher in the Finals in 25 years, and finally the Pacers defeated the Thunder 116-107 and rewrote the series score to 2-1.

Statistics

Pacers: Haliburton 22 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists, Siakam 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Turner 9 points and 5 blocks, Mathurin 27 points, McConnell 10 points, 5 assists and 5 steals

Thunder: Alexander 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks, Dort 12 points, Jalen Williams 26 points, Holmgren 20 points and 10 rebounds

Background

In the finals G2, the Pacers' offensive and defensive performances were unsatisfactory, and the difference was stretched to 23 points at the most, and finally lost to the Thunder 107-123, and the series was tied 1-1. Even worse for the Pacers is the fact that the team's star Haliburton suffered a calf injury in G2. In the first two games of the Finals, Haliburton was targeted by the Thunder, averaging only 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6 assists per game.

Thunder G2 showed a winning momentum from the beginning and finally won the game. Alexander scored a league-high 72 points in his first two Finals games, a record high for Allen Iverson (71). It is worth mentioning that so far in the playoffs this season, the Thunder and the Pacers are not good at playing the third game of the series, and the Thunder have a record of 1 win and 2 losses in the third game of the series, averaging a net loss of 15 points per game; The Pacers are 0-3 and are averaging a net minus of 14.7 points per game.

Game recap

After the opening, Alexander was whistled for an offensive foul, but this did not affect the Thunder, and the inside and outside teamed up to open the game 15-6 and force the Pacers to stop. The game restarted, and under the Haliburton tandem, the Pacers hit consecutive baskets to complete the offense and chase the score to 14-19. Then the two sides went back and forth to score, and Alexander also found his touch, scoring six straight points to help the Thunder lead the Pacers 32-24 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Mathurin, who came off the bench, scored 9 points alone, and teamed up with his teammates to blast a wave of 15-4 climax, and the Pacers overtook 39-36. Isaiah Joe's two 3-pointers couldn't stop the Pacers, and Mathurin kept his hot touch and hit five more free throws to extend the Pacers' advantage to seven points. At the critical moment, Alexander immediately led the team to respond with a wave of 9-2 offensive, and the Thunder regained the lead. Haliburton didn't show any weakness, hitting a jumper and then hitting a three-pointer, and McConnell was the icing on the cake, giving the Pacers a 64-60 lead over the Thunder at halftime. In addition, the Pacers scored a whopping 30 points off the bench in the first half, while the Thunder only had 11 points.

In the second half, the Thunder came up with a wave of 8-0 offensive to overtake the score 68-64. The Pacers, who were playing at home, immediately responded with a 12-5 comeback surge and regained a three-point advantage. Subsequently, the two teams drew several times. Holmgren's 2+1 and Jalen Williams' three-pointer helped the Thunder take an 89-84 lead over the Pacers at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, the Pacers continued to chase points, McConnell completed a fast break after a steal, Mathurin and Haliburton hit 3-pointers one after another, and with Toppin making a dunk, the Pacers took the score 107-100. Alexander's jumper kept the Thunder in the game, but Nesmith immediately responded with a 3-pointer. With Turner making two blocks in a row, Siakam hit a layup and the Pacers won the game.

Starting line-ups for both sides

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

Thunder: Shay Gilgeous Alexander, Lygents Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Kayson Wallace