The vibes were loud. The building? Louder. But the Thunder got in their own way. On the biggest stage yet, Oklahoma City tripped over their own shoelaces and let Game 3 hit the floor. And Mark Daigneault? Well, he couldn’t get any realer. Call it careless. Call it chaotic. Man, call it whatever you want, just don’t call it championship basketball.

Because the Oklahoma City Thunder coughed up the ball 19 times in Game 3, and every single one felt like a gut punch. Bounce passes into traffic, jump passes with no plan, soft swings on the perimeter… it was like a live demo of how not to handle the moment. But Indiana? They pounced! The Pacers dropped 40 in the second quarter alone, destroyed OKC with a 32-18 fourth, and pulled off a 116-107 win to snatch a 2-1 series lead.

“The turnovers were uncharacteristic,” said Mark Daigneault, post-game. But the Pacers called them dinner. And dessert. And maybe even the leftovers. Indiana feasted on OKC’s mistakes—19 of them, to be exact—turning giveaways into daggers and momentum with 21 points off those mistakes. Indiana did it after Game 1, so of course, OKC had to do this after their Game 2 win.

And right at the center of it was TJ McConnell, a walking nightmare for OKC’s ballhandlers. Five steals. Five! He crashed passing lanes, disrupted inbound plays, and injected chaos like he had the game’s script in his back pocket. It was the kind of defense that doesn’t just stop possessions, but rattles decision-making for the next five.

Then came Bennedict Mathurin. Remember him? The same Mathurin who missed last postseason after shoulder surgery? He dropped 27 off the bench like he never left. Confident drives, catch-and-shoot threes, and a fire that screamed, “You forgot about me?” It was a full-circle performance—an explosion at the exact moment the Pacers needed scoring off the pine.

And it wasn’t just those two. The Pacers’ bench outscored the Thunder’s 49-18. That’s not just an advantage, that’s domination. Because in a Finals game, depth is destiny. And yes, the Thunder have been here before. But the way they lost this one? That’s what should raise eyebrows. Because this? This was sloppier, louder, more exposed, and, importantly, the Finals. You give up 49 bench points, lose the turnover battle like that, and expect to keep pace?

Game 3 slipped away, now Coach Mark needs something to grab onto 

So what happened to OKC? Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was overconfidence. Or maybe it was that classic playoff trap: one good win that makes you a little too casual the next time out. Haliburton ran pick-and-rolls like he was playing jazz solos. OKC? Folded like a lawn chair in the fourth.

Now comes the test. Mark Daigneault has two days to respond. Game 4 isn’t just about evening the series… it’s about proving Game 3 was an anomaly, not an unraveling. That means limiting the sloppy decisions, cutting down the over-dribbling, and bringing back the ball security that got them here in the first place. Because 19 turnovers, a second-quarter collapse, and a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit are a big red flag screaming warning siren.

“We got off to a really good start, and then got off to a really good start in the 3rd. We really controlled the 1st and 3rd quarters and had a really hard time the 2nd and the 4th. So we’ll watch it. It wasn’t all bad, but we definitely have to play our style and impose our will for more than 48 minutes if we want to come on the road to win.”

Mark Daigneault’s diagnosis was spot-on. OKC owned the first and third quarters with a +17 advantage, but their collapse in the second and fourth—what he called “uncharacteristic”—ultimately doomed them. And for the first time all series, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked human. After averaging 36 points through the first two games, he was held to just 24 in Game 3. That dip was all the opening Indiana needed to tilt the momentum in their favor.

And the most interesting yet gut-wrenching thing for OKC fans? Word on the market is this: 80.5% of teams that win Game 3 of the Finals go on to win the whole thing. Now you do the math. Daigneault said it best—this wasn’t who they are. But at the worst possible time, that’s exactly who they became. OKC now has two days to patch it up, get back to their identity, and prove they belong here. Because Indiana’s already made their statement. Loud and clear.

To flip the script in Game 4, the Thunder need to clean up their execution, not just in limiting turnovers, but in their offensive pacing and half-court decision-making. That means clearer reads, stronger ball movement, and smarter rotations when Indiana turns up the pressure. Defensive communication has to be tighter, transition defense more alert, and the bench? It needs to show up, period. The Pacers won’t let up. The question now is—can OKC lock in, level up, and stop giving the Finals away?