Preserve monitor of the host Indiana Pacers’ try to go up 2-1 on the favored Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder in Recreation 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
The OKC Thunder (68-14), the highest seed within the Western Convention, are actually tied 1-1 with the No. 4 Japanese Convention seed Indiana Pacers (50-32) and OKC is the prohibitive favourite. Recreation 3 shits to Indianapolis. Many really feel OKC is again in management, whereas others really feel the Pacers are due for a get away offensively.
FINAL: Pacers 116, Thunder 107
It wasn’t precisely the comeback that Pacers followers have grow to be accustomed to, however Indiana proved equally adept at retaining a lead as they’re erasing one. Tyrese Haliburton fell on rebound in need of a triple-double and tallied 22 factors and 11 assists as is, facilitating an exciting shutdown of the excessive octane Thunder. Total, the Pacers’ headliners got here to play alongside the substitutes, who had been paced (pun supposed) by Mathurin, whose 27 factors had been tied for the third-most by a reserve in NBA Finals historical past. Elsewhere among the many Pacer subs, Toppin was a team-best plus-18 amidst an eight-point, seven-rebound night time whereas McConnell reached double figures with 10 factors and 5 assists and steals every.
4th Quarter: Pacers 116, Thunder 107
0.0—The Thunder wave the white flag and the Pacers have taken a 2-1 sequence lead within the best-of-seven set.
7.3—Oklahoma Metropolis fails to foul and Siakam drives for 2. (116-107 IND)
17.4—Nembhard’s fifth foul sends Wallace to the road. He hits just one once more. (114-107 IND)
27.0—A Caruso foul places Mathurin on the line. He hits each, giving him 27. (114-106 IND)
27.6—Caruso and Dort almost nook Mathurin, however the latter fouls. It is solely possession as its the Thunder’s first within the final two minutes.
35.7—Indiana comes up brief on the possession, however they eat up good clock. Nesmith fouls Williams after the rebound. That is Nesmith’s sixth and he is substitute by Mathurin. Williams hits considered one of two once more (112-106 IND)
1:00—Williams hits one on the foul line after a Nesmith foul. It is rebounded by Haliburton (112-105 IND)
1:09—After a Gilgeous-Alexander miss, Siakam squeaks by him for a straightforward two, placing the Pacers again up eight. Timeout Thunder. (112-104 IND)
1:56—Indiana turns the ball over however makes up for it with good Turner protection on Holmgren, which will get possession again.
2:35—Caruso turns a steal of Haliburton right into a fastbreak and is fouled laborious by Nesmith. The play is being reviewed for a flagrant foul however is dominated to not meet such standards. Caruso hits two. (110-104 IND)
3:04—A Nesmith nook three establishes the Pacers’ largest lead of the sport and sequence (110-102 IND)
3:23—Gilgeous-Alexander beats Nembhard for 2 after the timeout. Oklahoma Metropolis is assessed a delay of recreation warning (107-102 IND)
3:34—Toppin foul on the ground on a Gilgeous-Alexander rebound. Timeout Pacers.
4:24—Haliburton’s miss off the backboard is slammed dwelling by Toppin (107-100 IND)
4:51—Following an change of doubles, Nembhard’s stepback places the Pacers forward by 5 (105-100 IND)
6:42—Haliburton crosses over Haliburton after his miss on the opposite finish for a go-ahead three. Timeout Thunder (101-98 IND)
7:41—Williams instantly responds on the opposite finish to tie (98-98)
8:02—Mathurin sinks a 3, turning into simply the tenth participant in NBA Finals historical past to attain 25 off the bench in a single recreation (98-96 IND)
8:09—Gilgeous-Alexander goes to the road after a Nembhard foul, his fourth. He hits one. Nembhard stays in (96-95 OKC)
8:33—After Nembhard ends a short Indiana scoring drought, McConnell steals one other inbounds cross and ties the sport (95-95)
9:44—Caruso finds Holmgren for 2 with the newly-awarded possession (95-91 OKC)
9:55—After the 2 sides change doubles, Oklahoma Metropolis challenges when Hartenstein is accused of deflecting a McConnell cross out of bounds. It is overturned, giving the ball again to the Thunder. (93-91 OKC)
11:23—Mathurin opens ultimate interval scoring with an and-one. He hits the freebie, giving him 20 factors on the night time. (89-87 OKC)
third Quarter: Thunder 89, Pacers 84
0.9—After McConnell’s unsuccessful misfire, Williams hits his first three and the Thunder’s tenth of the sport to shut scoring within the third (89-84 OKC)
34.7—Williams finds a streaking Holmgren within the ache for a dunking double and he will get another tally on a McConnell foul (86-84 OKC)
52.2—Following Sheppard’s authorized contact on Gilgeous-Alexander, Mathurin goes to the road on a Caruso foul and sinks one (84-83 IND)
2:01—Gilgeous-Alexander and Siakam change doubles (the previous earned after goaltending is known as on Hartenstein (83-83)
2:50—Holmgren stress on a Toppin fastbreak and a Dort offensive board results in equalizing free throws for Gilgeous-Alexander (81-81)
4:50—Again to the lead go the Pacers on a Mathurin two (81-79 IND)
5:08—Indiana’s first turnover because the opening interval yields an equalizing three from Caruso (79-79)
5:42—Haliburton’s three provides the Pacers the lead and results in a Thunder timeout (79-76 IND)
6:39—Following Siakam free throws, Dort ties the sport along with his fourth three in as many makes an attempt (76-76)
7:08—Gilgeous-Alexander instantly makes up for it with a 3 (74-73 IND)
7:30—Haliburton intercepts a Gilgeous-Alexander cross and switch it right into a dunk (74-70 IND)
7:51—Turner hits a jumper to place the hosts forward once more (72-70 IND)
8:04—Wallace hits an equally tough double tie it (70-70)
8:18—Haliburton’s drive endures a contact however he hits it to present the Pacers the lead (70-68 IND)
8:57—A deep nook two from Nesmith ties the sport once more (68-68)
9:31—After one other Williams floater, Turner will get the Pacers on the board within the second half with free throws on a Gilgeous-Alexander foul (68-66 OKC)
10:37—Gilgeous-Alexanders befuddles Nesmith on a stepback, resulting in a Thunder lead and a Pacers timeout (66-64 OKC)
11:01—Williams scores once more to tie the sport (64-64)
11:32—The second half begins with the Pacers turning a Gilgeous-Alexander rejection of Nesmith right into a Williams double (64-62 IND)
Halftime: Pacers 64, Thunder 60
Depth stars rule the day for the Pacers, as reserves put in 30 factors. McConnell’s displaying proves significantly spectacular regardless of solely six factors, as his packed field rating (4 assists, 3 steals, and a rebound) matches the 14 Mathurin factors when it comes to affect. The Pacers’ foul hassle, nevertheless, ought to solely elevate Oklahoma Metropolis’s aggressiveness: three Pacer starters (Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam) have three fouls, which could possibly be precisely what prime scorers Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren are searching for as they search straightforward baskets.
2nd Quarter: Pacers 64, Thunder 60
0.0—After an change of doubles, the Pacers take momentum into the locker room with a profitable fadeaway for McConnell whereas Gilgeous-Alexander misses a double on the deadline.
1:02—Now Siakam has three fouls, as Williams goes again to the road. He hits two this time. Toppin enters for Siakam (60-58 IND)
1:21—Siakam hits two on the line to create a two-possession lead once more (60-56 IND)
1:31—Nesmith additionally picks up his third foul, this one sending Williams to the road. He hits one and Nesmith sits for Mathurin. (58-56 IND)
1:47—Haliburton’s three places the Pacers again forward (58-55 IND)
2:14—Change of doubles between Hartenstein (off a feed from Gilgeous-Alexander) and Haliburton (55-55)
2:54—McConnell’s misfire results in one other Gilgeous-Alexander drive however Siakam instantly re-ties it (53-53)
3:27—Gilgeous-Alexander goes coast-to-coast after a missed Sheppard three and ties the sport. Timeout Indiana. (51-51)
3:50—Williams responds to extra bench antics from the Pacers (a Sheppard drives) with a three-point play (51-49 IND)
4:22—Oklahoma Metropolis cuts the result in one possession after a Caruso three and a free throw from Williams sandwiches a Haliburton floater. Thunder are likewise within the bonus (49-46 IND)
5:36—Indiana faces some foul hassle of its personal regardless of the lead, as Nembhard leaves along with his third foul.
5:47—Additional bench press antics maintain the Pacers rolling, as Toppin finds Mathurin, who converts a profitable and-one on a Dort foul. It creates Indiana’s largest lead within the sequence to this point (47-42 IND)
6:05—Mathurin reaches double-figures and offers the Pacers the lead again on a Joe foul. Pacers are within the bonus for the remainder of the half (44-42 IND)
6:31—Nembhard and Joe change triples and maintain the rating tied (42-42)
7:12—Following a timeout, Isaiah Joe stems the bleeding with an equalizing three (39-39)
8:18—Mathurin’s drive creates two extra. Indiana is within the midst of an 11-2 run (39-36 IND)
8:58—Following an Aaron Wiggins foul, the Pacers get their first lead of the night time on McConnell free throws (37-36 IND)
9:21—Indiana would not instantly capitalize and loses two on a Wallace double, however a nook three from Mathurin (seven factors in three minutes) results in a Thunder timeout amidst a one-point recreation (36-35 OKC)
9:42—McConnell as soon as once more goes assist-to-steal, discovering a driving Aaron Nesmith for 2 earlier than stealing one other from Wallace (34-32 OKC)
10:28—Mathurin provides two extra on a jumper after Holmgren free throws (34-30 OKC)
11:26—After Siakam opens second intervals scoring with a layup, TJ McConnell intercepts a Wallace cross, which leads with a Bennedict Mathurin double and 4 fast factors (32-28 OKC)
1st Quarter: Thunder 32, Pacers 24
0.0—Scoring wraps with a de facto free throw contest: Gilgeous-Alexander hits two whereas Holmgren and Siakam every go one-of-two.
1:25—Again-to-back doubles for Gilgeous-Alexander sandwich one other two for Toppin (29-22 OKC)
2:45—Dort instantly responds with one other three (25-20 OKC)
3:01—Again-to-back threes from Turner and Haliburton shrink the hole to a possession (22-20 OKC)
4:35—Holmgren sits for Isaiah Hartenstein whereas Turner returns. Dort his second three out of the timeout (22-14 OKC)
4:50—Haliburton turns an interception of a Williams cross right into a double for Toppin, and Oklahoma Metropolis calls timeout (19-14 OKC)
5:08—Tyrese Haliburton will get on the board through floating double (19-12 OKC)
5:41—Oklahoma Metropolis re-establishes the nine-point lead on a Holmgren dunk from Alex Caruso
6:02—Following an Obi Toppin foul (after he scored upon his personal entry), Holmgren reaches double figures with two on the line (17-10 OKC)
7:21—Out of the time, Ben Sheppard enters for Turner and ends the mini Oklahoma Metropolis run (15-8 OKC)
7:36—Holmgren sinks a contested stepback, resulting in a nine-point and a timeout for the internet hosting Pacers (15-6 OKC)
8:49—A Siakam spin result in one other double however Dort sinks a 3 off a feed from Wallace (13-6 OKC)
9:17—Holmgren hits two on the line after Turner’s first foul following a dunk that interrupted an change of doubles between Siakam and Williams (10-4 OKC)
10:31—Pascal Siakam will get Indiana on the board (4-2 OKC)
10:42—Jalen Williams places again a missed Cason Wallace dunk (4-0 OKC)
10:57—Holmgren floats in a double to present Oklahoma Metropolis the primary lead (2-0 OKC)
11:39—Luguentz Dort holds Pascal Siakam, giving Oklahoma Metropolis two early fouls.
11:52—Eight seconds in, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is known as for an offensive foul after a tangle-up with Andrew Nembhard.
12:00—Chet Holmgren wins the tip in opposition to Myles Turner, and the sport is underway.
Pregame
Beginning Lineups
THUNDER: Luguentz Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams
PACERS: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Accidents
THUNDER: Nikola Matter (Out, ankle)
PACERS: Isaiah Jackson (Out, Achilles tendon), Jarace Walker (Out, Ankle)
Line: OKC -5.5
O/U: 228.5
Officers: Tony Brothers, James Capers, Tyler Ford (alternate: Courtney Kirkland)
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
