Bennedict Mathurin and TJ McConnell make history in NBA Finals Game 3

Arizona alums Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell had record-setting performances off the bench in game three of the NBA Finals as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 on Wednesday night to take a two-games-to-one lead.

Mathurin led all scorers in game three with 27 points in 22 minutes in 12 field goal attempts. Mathurin is the youngest player to score 25 points off the bench in the NBA Finals since 1970-71, when players were first designated as starters or reserves.

Mathurin is the first player to score at least 25 points off the bench in an NBA Finals game since another Arizona alum, Jason Terry, also scored 27 points as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 105-95 to win their only NBA Championship. Terry scored 27 points in 16 shots.

Former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell became the first player in NBA Finals history to record 10 points, five assists and five steals since 1974, when the latter became an official statistic. McConnell made three of his eight shots from the field and all four free throws with two turnovers in 15 minutes.

Mathurin at +16 and McConnell at +12 were the second and third highest on the Pacers in +/- in game three behind Obi Toppin, who had a +18. Toppin scored eight points on four of eight from the field, missed all three of his three-point attempts and had six rebounds, two blocks and one assist with one turnover.

Mathurin averaged 16.1 points per game, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 72 regular season games with 49 starts. McConnell averaged 9.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.1 SPG playing in 79 games during the 2024-25 regular season with one start.

Mathurin was the sixth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by Indiana after an All-American collegiate career with Arizona. McConnell signed with Indiana in 2019 and has signed two extensions since then after playing the first four seasons of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers.