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Bennedict Mathurin Rumors
Keerthika Uthayakumar: Will Riley (from Kitchener, ON) is the 22nd Canadian to be drafted in the first round of the NBA draft since 2011. He's the sixth Canadian taken in the first round over the last four drafts, joining Sharpe & Mathurin in 2022, Prosper in 2023 and Edey & George in 2024.
The Pacers were kings of the comeback, with NBA records for 15-point comebacks in the postseason (five) and wins after trailing by seven or more points with a minute remaining (three). They pulled one of those stunners by erasing a double-digit deficit to beat the Thunder on Tyrese Haliburton’s last-second shot in Game 1, and with the series even for Game 3, Mathurin stunned the Thunder with 27 points off the bench for another upset.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads OKC to first title in franchise history
Clemente Almanza: FINAL: Thunder 103, Pacers 91 SGA - 29 points, 12 assists JDub - 20 points, 4 rebounds Chet - 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks Siakam - 16 points, 4 rebounds Nembhard - 15 points, 6 assists Mathurin - 24 points, 13 rebounds OKC wins the NBA championship
A longer series also means additional gate revenue for both teams. The average purchase price for the NBA Finals before the series started was $1,147, per TickPick. While that’s down 25% from last year—when games were played in Dallas and Boston—an extra game still means tens of millions of revenue for both the Thunder and Pacers from tickets, merchandise, and concession sales. Players looking to boost their stock also have more opportunities with the additional games. Game 3 hero Bennedict Mathurin is extension-eligible this summer, and his performances could make him more valuable, even though Indiana is already expected to enter the luxury tax for the first time in two decades.
“It definitely has not wavered,” Mathurin said about his confidence. “I told my friend that you can’t grow into it. You have to be born with it to a certain extent. With my confidence, I think I can be the best in the world. Growing up, I used to be like, ‘I’m going to be in the NBA.’ I didn’t say, ‘I’m going to work hard to be there’ because being in the NBA comes with working hard.
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“My goal is to help the community and be there for them,” Mathurin said. “I know what it is to not have money. I know what it is to not have food on the table. So, as much as I can give back, whether it’s basketball camps or food stamps, anything I can help, that’s the main thing. “I remember when we didn’t have food for days. I didn’t have money to go to school. Stuff like that. That was really seven years ago when I was 15. That wasn’t a long time ago. My memory is really fresh. No doubt, basketball saved my life. It started with my sister. She was good at basketball and I wanted to be better than my sister. Super grateful for that.”
In the midst of these NBA Finals, The Mathurin Family Foundation was announced on June 9 in Montreal. The mission of TMFF is “to empower youth from underserved communities through access to sports, education, and development opportunities.” Mathurin’s sister, Jennifer, is TMFF founder and chair of the board.
NBA Stat: Bennedict Mathurin just had the 3rd highest scoring Finals game off the bench in NBA history. 1. Sam Cassell - 31 points in 30 minutes (1995 vs. Magic) 2. Fred Brown - 30 points in 33 minutes (1978 vs. Bullets) 3. Bennedict Mathurin - 27 points in 20 minutes (2025 vs. Thunder) #NBA
Brandon Rahbar: Mark Daigneault on Bennedict Mathurin: “He seems to have a game like this every series. He’s a talented player.. Those guys [Mathurin and McConnell] were catalysts. You tip your hat to them.”
Keerthika Uthayakumar: Mathurin's 27 points were the most off the bench in the Finals since Jason Terry in 2011. It's also the most points a Canadian has scored off the bench in NBA playoff history.
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NBA: Players this century with 25+ points in an NBA Finals game at age 22 or younger ⤵️ Kobe Bryant Tony Parker LeBron James Kawhi Leonard And now… Bennedict Mathurin It’s a postseason career-high for Mathurin, also becoming the youngest player since 1971 to score 25+ off the bench in a Finals game 🔥
Bennedict Mathurin, TJ McConnell lead Pacers to win in Game 3
Scott Agness: Pacers beat the Thunder 116-107 for a 2-1 series lead. They still haven't lost b2b games in three months — since March 10. Haliburton had 22-9-11, Mathurin scored 27 and TJM was superb. Pacers shot 51% and forced 19 turnovers. Game 4 on Fri.
Clemente Almanza: FINAL: Pacers 116, Thunder 107 SGA - 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists JDub - 26 points, 6 rebounds Chet - 20 points, 10 rebounds Haliburton - 22 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds Siakam - 21 points, 6 rebounds Mathurin - 27 points Indiana leads 2-1
StatMuse: Bench players with a 25-point game in the Finals this century: — Jason Terry — Manu Ginobili — Bennedict Mathurin Great company.
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