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[Saba Sports News] The Indiana Pacers dropped Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals, falling 123–107 after another sluggish first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But if this postseason has shown anything, it’s that the Pacers don’t flinch in the face of adversity.
They’ve bounced back from losses time and again, and they remain confident in their place on the league’s biggest stage. As the series shifts to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Wednesday night, they’ll look to respond with urgency and pride.
Throughout their playoff run, the Pacers have built a reputation for proving their doubters wrong. Their belief in themselves hasn’t wavered, and neither has their swagger — something Bennedict Mathurin brings in spades. That confidence includes trash talk, and Mathurin has taken it to another level.
“I speak four languages, but I think I’ve trash-talked in more than four,” Mathurin said with a grin, via NBA TV on Instagram. “[Using] Portuguese. It’s pretty similar to Spanish.”
According to his Arizona profile, Mathurin speaks French, Spanish, Creole, and English — and he clearly knows enough phrases (and curse words) in other languages to get under opponents’ skin no matter where they’re from.
His bold, animated presence is a perfect match for a Pacers team searching for every competitive edge it can get—especially against a Thunder squad with few weak spots.
Now, it’s time for Mathurin to match his personality with on-court production. He gave Indiana a spark late in Game 2, scoring 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, but he’ll need to sustain that effort moving forward if the Pacers are to keep their title hopes alive.
Mathurin hasn’t had a consistent impact this postseason. He was largely phased out during the Eastern Conference Finals and had a quiet series against Cleveland as well.
But this is a player who averaged over 16 points per game during the regular season, and the Pacers could use that version of him now more than ever.
Head coach Rick Carlisle is trying to get him going — Mathurin has averaged 19 minutes per game in the Finals, a notable increase from earlier rounds.
Carlisle is clearly hoping the young guard can find his rhythm and become an X-factor in the Pacers’ bid to upset the top-seeded Thunder.