Thursday night will be big for the Indiana Pacers for two reasons: it is a pivotal Game 6 in the NBA Finals, and it is also Bennedict Mathurin's birthday. While these two facts do not directly correlate with each other, there is an interesting trend that Mathurin and the Pacers will look to extend--the last three players to play in the NBA Finals on their birthday won the game. Those three players are Jrue Holiday (2024), Jae Crowder (2021), and Udonis Haslem (2013). Holiday and Haslem each went on to win the series that same season.
The Pacers are currently facing a 3-2 series deficit, and they will host their final game of the season in a crucial Game 6. If they win on Thursday, they will have an opportunity to pull off the series comeback in a win-or-go-home Game 7. In order for them to do so, they need the best out of Mathurin, and luckily for them, history is on their side.
Bennedict Mathurin has been up-and-down in the NBA Finals
The Canadian native has had a rocky series so far. Through the first five games, he is averaging 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1 assist while shooting 45.9% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. This includes a monstrous 27-point performance in just 22 minutes in Game 3, but it also includes a rough 2-for-11 night in Indiana's Game 5 loss.
While he is not their most important player, the Pacers are typically a much better team when Mathurin is hot, and if they want any chance of beating the Thunder on Thursday night and extending the series to a Game 7, they need him to step it up once again.
Throughout the playoffs, Mathurin has had multiple big games off the bench, and he has shown multiple times exactly what the Pacers missed in his absence last year. He can be a bit streaky at times, and that is no different in the playoffs. However, if he can bounce back in Game 6, the Pacers will be in a good spot.
One of the main takeaways from this series so far is that, for the most part, the second unit that performed better has led their team to victory. Both the Pacers and Thunder have incredibly deep teams, so they each need as many advantages as they can get from their bench. For Indiana, one of their most essential bench players is Mathurin, who will have a fantastic opportunity to give himself another big moment on his 23rd birthday.