INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers beat MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. After coach Mark Daigneault admitted what went wrong for the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander went through a list of ways his team was outplayed in their first road game of the NBA Finals.
After the Thunder carved out an early 15-6 lead in the opening frame, which ended up being their largest lead of the night, it was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. Then, the Pacers took matters into their own hands in the second quarter. A tone was set by their second unit before the starters followed suit in the second half.
The Pacers outscored their opponent 32-18 in the final frame, which spelled the Thunder’s fate as they trailed Indiana 2-1 in the NBA Finals. After the loss, Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Pacers credit for outplaying Oklahoma City when it mattered most.
“They were aggressive. They were high on the pick-and-rolls, they really were, like coach said, more aggressive, more forceful,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It starts with me, but we gotta apply that pressure back.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on losing Game 3 to the Pacers:
“They were aggressive. They were high on the pick-and-rolls, they really were, like coach said, more aggressive, more forceful. It starts with me but we gotta apply that pressure back” pic.twitter.com/vW4tXXgHqL
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) June 12, 2025
The Pacers coerced the Thunder into committing a whopping 17 turnovers in Game 3. While T.J. McConnell’s five steals shifted the momentum in favor of Indiana, Bennedict Mathurin scored a team-high 27 points off the bench. He went 9-of-12 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from deep. In a game where Tyrese Haliburton came one rebound shy of a triple-double (22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds), he was masterful while leading the Pacers’ offense. And Pascal Siakam added 21 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks, but committed six turnovers as the Pacers team rattled the league’s Most Valuable Player in his first NBA Finals game on the road. His fellow All-Star Jalen Williams scored a team-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting.
Mark Daigneault admits where the Thunder failed in Game 3
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed where his team failed in Game 3’s loss to the Pacers. Trailing the Pacers 2-1, Daigneault says his team won two of the game’s four quarters.
“They really outplayed us in the 4th. Give them credit. We got control of the game coming out of the third. In the fourth, they outplayed us on both ends,” Daigneault said. “We got off to a really good start, and then got off to a really good start in the third. We really controlled the first and third quarters, and had a really hard time in the second and fourth.”
The Thunder will look to avoid a 3-1 hole in Game 4 on Friday.
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