After getting blown out by 16 in OKC, the Pacers had no choice but to respond—and respond they did. In Game 3, they came out swinging, led by a locked-in Tyrese Haliburton, and never looked back. From the opening tip, Indiana played with purpose, erased the sting of their Game 2 collapse, and cruised to a nine-point win to take a 2-1 lead in the series. But even with the home crowd roaring and momentum back on their side, Haliburton made sure to keep his squad grounded, confronting the hard truth beneath the victory.

During the postgame interview, Haliburton was asked how Bennedict Mathurin, who dropped a playoff career high 27 points tonight, was able to regain his form after two disappointing performances in OKC. Instead of singling out his teammate, the point guard highlighted the entire locker room’s struggles, “Well, it’s not just him. All of us are having challenges. None of us have really played well.”

Yes, the Indiana team did not play up to their standard in OKC. Even Tyrese struggled to find his rhythm, combining for just 31 points in the first two games. But returning to Indiana and playing on his home floor seemingly helped him regain his groove tonight, as he dropped a near 22-point triple-double with just one rebound shy. So far this season, Pacers have a 20-1 winning record whenever Hali has a 20/10 game, including 8-1 these playoffs. On the flip side, they look like a shell of themselves when he’s not aggressive—going 5-4 in the games he has less than 18 points and single digit assists. Looks like him regaining his form might have been the key to unlocking his team’s potential.

Following his confession, Tyrese also talked about Mathurin’s breakout performance, “I think he’s just doing a great job, keeping his head down, keep working. Man, those are big time minutes and we really missed him in our last playoff run. So, it’s big that he’s here with us now.” Last year, Mathurin missed the Pacers’ playoff run to the Conference Finals because he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in March.

Had he been available, he might have gotten his team over the hump. He has clearly proven his worth this year, as he is averaging 11.2 points in these playoffs. He played his career’s best game tonight when his team needed him the most. And Tyrese was nothing but grateful for his presence. However, Mathurin was not the only player the point guard appreciated after the big win.

Tyrese Haliburton highlights Pacers bench’s contribution in Game 3 victory vs OKC

The Pacers’ bench flipped the script tonight, outscoring OKC’s reserves 49-18 and proving to be the X-factor. TJ McConnell was everywhere—racking up 5 steals and turning up the pressure on a Thunder team that coughed up 19 turnovers.

It’s clear that coming back home sparked something. The energy at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was electric, and Tyrese Haliburton felt it too. “Amazing, man. We love playing in front of our fans. We love being here. They deserve high stakes, high level basketball and we’re giving them that right now,” he said postgame.

With momentum on their side, the Pacers will now look to ride this wave into Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead—bringing them one step closer to the ultimate prize. Do you think they can do it?