INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — TJ McConnell stole inbounds passes not once, not twice, but three times in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. He waved his arms, pumped his fists and shouted at an already delirious crowd to make more noise. Bennedict Mathurin made just about every shot, calm and cool, always coming up with the bucket that Indiana needed.

The Indiana Pacers didn’t need a miracle. Their fortune was perpetual, a series of winning plays to keep the Thunder under water in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

In Wednesday night's Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Pacers were simply better than the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 116-107 victory in a raucous Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It marked the first NBA Finals game in Indianapolis since 2000. The Pacers take a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 8:30 p.m. Friday.