The Pacers crush the Thunder and take the lead in the series

Indianapolis.- The Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 this Wednesday, protected the home court advantage they stole in the first game, and took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse will also host the fourth game, which will be played this Friday before the series returns to Oklahoma for the fifth match. Indiana, which signed a huge 32-18 in the last quarter, has never won the NBA ring - it does have three ABA titles - and hadn't played in a Finals for 25 years.

An exciting match

It was an exciting game, with ups and downs for the Pacers and Thunder, and in which Indiana ended up triumphing thanks to an excellent collective contribution with many names to highlight.

Tyrese Haliburton had his best performance of the Finals (close to a triple-double with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists), Bennedict Mathurin gave an amazing recital off the bench (27 points with 9 of 12 in shots and 10 points in the fourth quarter), T.J. McConnell also revolutionized the game as a reserve (10 points, 5 assists and 5 steals) and Pascal Siakam was their most consistent scorer (21 points and 6 rebounds). Their defense also grew by limiting Shai-Gilgeous Alexander to 24 points (9 of 20) and 8 rebounds. This season's MVP lost 6 balls, his highest figure in his career in the 'playoff'. The Thunder got stuck with 19 turnovers that led to 21 points for the Pacers. They reached the last quarter ahead largely due to Indiana's poor three-point shooting (9 of 27), but the home team struck in the final stretch with 61.9% shooting (35.3% for Oklahoma) and 3 of 5 from the perimeter (0 of 4 for the visitors). Jalen Williams (26 points and 6 rebounds), Chet Holmgren (20 points and 10 rebounds) and Lu Dort (12 points with 4 of 5 in three-pointers) stood out in Oklahoma, whose bench sank with only 18 points against Indiana's 49. Oklahoma, the best team of the regular season (68-14), will have to react in the fourth game to avoid returning home with the heavy burden of 3-1, a result that only one team has come back from in the Finals: LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 against Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors.

Indiana Buzzes with the Finals

Indiana, a state where basketball is almost a religion, had to wait a quarter of a century to host an NBA Finals again. The first and only time until now was in the year 2000, when Reggie Miller and company faced the Los Angeles Lakers of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. There was a lot of anticipation these days in Indianapolis and the Gainbridge Fieldhouse did not disappoint at all, offering a vibrant atmosphere throughout the evening.

Nothing Intimidated the Thunder

However, none of this intimidated the Thunder. Holmgren shone in the initial quarter with a fabulous display of offensive resources within reach of very few 2.16-meter players. The center shined with 13 points while Dort escorted him with 3 out of 3 three-pointers. Shai, however, was not at all comfortable and stayed at 6 points, but Oklahoma's overwhelming defense did the rest, forcing 7 turnovers from Indiana. Haliburton only scored 5 points but dished out 4 assists. With 24-32 it was the turn of the Pacers' substitutes, disappointing in the second game but who completely changed the script of the game this Wednesday. At the head of the revolt was a fiery McConnell, the perfect revulsive in defense (3 steals) and the ideal facilitator (6 points and 4 assists) for Indiana to come back with a partial of 15-4 (39-36 with 8.18 left for the break). The scoring was provided by a voracious Mathurin with 14 points.

Thrilling Section

It was a sensational stretch from Rick Carlisle's team, who suddenly reminded the team that embraced the East with their extreme intensity, their overwhelming pace, and their lethal transitions. The blow left Oklahoma trembling. They lost 6 balls (only one from Indiana) and between Shai and Williams they prevented the 40-28 partial, with Haliburton increasingly inspired, from being wider.

The Pacers closed the part sending (64-60) thanks to Mathurin (14 points), Haliburton (12 points and 7 assists) and Siakam (13 points). Holmgren (15 points), Shai (12 points) and Williams (11 points) led the Thunder. The return of the visitors was what Mark Daigneault dreamed of: a 0-8 start with Williams making his way like a tank on the battlefield.

Third quarter, a furious fight

The third quarter was a furious, heavyweight battle, with both teams giving it their all. Haliburton gave away some incredible flashes of magic while Shai kept scoring steadily. However, Oklahoma's dagger was signed by Williams with a three-pointer in the last second to make it 84-89 on the way to the outcome (20-29 in the third quarter). They seemed to have lost their spark, but the Pacers never die, and Mathurin and McConnell resurrected them. With impressive energy, the two reserves fueled a major 23-11 run, crowned by a three-pointer from Obi Toppin (107-100 with 4:23 left). Oklahoma had a hurricane pass over them in that quarter: they collapsed on offense (only 3 points from Shai) and were unable to grow from defense. Instead, everything went wonderfully for the Pacers, stringing together three-pointers from Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith and with a block by Myles Turner on a shot by Holmgren that practically sealed the victory with two minutes to go.