NBA Final: Indiana Pacers outwork Thunder, take 2-1 lead in series

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the best team in the NBA so far this season.

Best winning record, best home record. Best defence and best player.

The one big advantage that the Indiana Pacers have over them, though, is a title-winning coach in Rick Carlisle.

One can argue that it's paying off for the Indiana Pacers bounced back from a game two loss to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 and take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 points with nine rebounds and 11 assists to spearhead a tremendous collective effort that included a career playoff high 27 points from reserve Bennedict Mathurin.

The Pacers bench out-scored Oklahoma City's reserves 49-18, and Indiana wore down NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose 24 points included just three in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder scorers with 26 points.

"So many different guys chipped in," Haliburton told broadcaster ABC.

"Ben Mathurin was amazing off the bench tonight. He just stuck with it. We just had guys make plays after plays."

Pascal Siakam scored 21 points for Indiana, and TJ McConnell added 10 points and five steals off the bench to help the Pacers improve to 10-0 since March 11 in games immediately after a defeat.

They'll try to stretch their lead in the best-of-seven championship series when they host game four on Friday before the series heads back to Oklahoma City for game five on Monday.

Jalen Williams finished with 26 points and Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder coughed up 19 turnovers, leading to 21 Pacers points.

"In the fourth quarter, I just thought they really outplayed us on both ends," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told AFP afterwards.

"I thought they were in character. They just stacked way more quality possessions in the fourth quarter than we did."

The Pacers outscored the Thunder 32-18 in the fourth quarter to seal a crucial win in the best-of-seven series.

Game four takes place in Indianapolis on Friday with the Pacers chasing a 3-1 lead as they bid to claim a first NBA Finals crown.