The Indiana Pacers won an overtime thriller against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, and though Pascal Siakam hit the shot to seal the deal, it was Bennedict Mathurin who had the best game. Mathurin finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds and played a team-high 43 minutes.
His teammates know what he's capable of every night he steps on the floor, but after their game, Myles Turner posted a picture of Mathurin alongside Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Mathurin probably did channel his inner Jordan and Bryant last night, and it helped the Pacers get the win after the Celtics came back in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Bennedict Maturin is the scorer off the bench the Pacers need
The Pacers have somewhat started the season off slowly, and one of the reasons is Tyrese Haliburton not being able to find a consistent rhythm. His other teammates are going to have to look to score, and Bennedict Mathurin has never been afraid of the moment.
Mathurin was a solid player for the Pacers last year before he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder last season. He had to go through seven months of no-basketball rehab, and he was finally able to return on the opening night of this season, where he finished with 19 points and six rebounds. After the game, Mathurin shared his reaction to his first game back.
“It feels amazing. Stepping away from the game for seven months makes me realize how blessed I am,” Mathurin said. “I'm just really glad we got the win tonight…We had to step on the court with the right mentality and come out with energy.
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“I work hard. I can't really say anything else other than I'm blessed, and I'm thankful. It's the first of many. We got 81 (games) left plus the playoffs.”
So far this year, he hasn't seen that many shot attempts, but the game against the Celtics showed what he is capable of when given the opportunity. The Pacers are loaded at the guard position already with Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J. McConnell, so Mathurin is going to have to do what he does best to get minutes, which is score.
When Haliburton finally starts to turn it on, the Pacers can again be one of the top offenses in the league. Last season, they were one of the league leaders in pace, and after bringing back the same squad, they'll be looking to do the same thing this year. Hopefully, the only difference is that they'll have Mathurin for the whole season.
