Underdog Indiana Pacers take 2-1 series lead in NBA Finals

The GIST: No, it’s not A Cinderella Story; it’s the Indiana Pacers — complete with their fairy godmother good luck charm, Caitlin Clark. Not only is Indy undefeated in the playoffs when the WNBA star’s in attendance, but they’re also only two wins away from their first-ever NBA title.

👟 Pacers flip the script on Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3: The championship series has been a fast-paced affair, so it came as no surprise that both teams leaned on their benches on Monday: 21 total players hit the hardwood in the first half alone. Unexpectedly, this benefitted the Pacers (up 2-1), whose bench dominated OKC’s 49–18 in the 116–107 win.

• OKC’s depth and ball control have been their calling card all season, but Indy forced the Thunder into an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers, erasing a nine-point second-half deficit behind a career-high 27 points from Canadian Bennedict Mathurin.

✨ Why you need to tune in for tonight’s 8:30 p.m. ET Game 4: This has been one of the most entertaining Finals in recent memory, despite the championship series featuring two “small market” teams. And no one thought the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed would be up 2-1 after a miraculous Game 1 comeback and thorough shellacking in Game 2.

• But the viewership numbers don’t reflect the thrilling on-court action. In fact, the average viewership in the first three games is down 23% compared to last year. That’s a lot of FOMO if the series’ current trajectory continues.