With a 116-107 win in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers have taken a 2-1 series lead vs. the Thunder. Indiana’s bench outscored the Thunder, 49-18, on Wednesday evening.
Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench and scored a team-high 27 points. He was 2-3 from beyond the arc and 7-8 from the charity stripe. After Game 1, Bill Simmons of The Ringer said Mathurin “looked comfortable in the chaos.” He said he wouldn’t be surprised if Mathurin scored 27 points in 22 minutes this series. Wildly, that was his exact stat line in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Bill Simmons couldn’t have been more accurate in predicting Benndict Mathurin’s stat line
Bill Simmons after game 1: “I’m wondering are we going to hear from [Mathurin] in this series… you know when Mathurin will have those games where he scored 27 points in 22 minutes, I feel like he’s gonna have one of those”
Guess what?
Mathurin had 27 points in 22 minutes… pic.twitter.com/YwRWZlxS3L— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 12, 2025
Bennedict Mathurin scored a playoff career-high 27 points for the Pacers in Game 3 of the 2025 Finals. He was Indiana’s leading scorer on Wednesday despite coming off the bench and only playing 22 minutes. Mathurin was 9-12 from the field, including 2-3 from beyond the arc and 7-8 from the free throw line. Credit is due to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons for absolutely nailing Bennedict Mathurin’s state line for Game 3.
After Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Simmons said that Mathurin looked comfortable and under control against OKC. He predicted that Mathurin could have a game where he scored 27 points in 22 points. That’s exactly what the 22-year-old did in Game 3. Bill Simmons couldn’t have been more right about his prediction. He was intrigued by Mathurin’s upside in this particular series, and the young forward had a career-best playoff game.
The former first-round pick has scored 20+ points in four of the Pacers’ 19 games this postseason. That includes his playoff career-high 27 points in Game 3. Mathurin is a talented scorer off the bench for Indiana. He’s someone head coach Rick Carlisle has been able to rely on in the 2025 playoffs. He’s just one of several key role players who come off the bench for the Pacers and make a major impact. Game 4 of the NBA Finals is Friday at 8:30 p.m. EST.
Zach Wolpin
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