Tyrese Haliburton praised a team effort from the Indiana Pacers after they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Haliburton scored 22 points and made 11 assists and nine rebounds as the Pacers overturned a five-point deficit going into the fourth quarter in game three of the best-of-seven series.
The Pacers bench outscored the Thunder by 49-18, with reserve Bennedict Mathurin contributing 27 points at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Mathurin said: “The main thing is you have to be resilient. You have to be the aggressor in order to win games.”
The Pacers, who went into the game after a 123-107 defeat in game two, extended a run of not losing consecutive games since March.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, scored 24 points for the Thunder but only three in the fourth quarter.
Jalem Williams top-scored for the visitors with 26 points, while Chet Holmgren scored 20 points and made 10 rebounds for a Thunder side that gave up 19 turnovers which led to 21 points for the Pacers.
“In the fourth quarter I just thought they really outplayed us on both ends,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
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Source: BBC
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