Although he had a quiet night offensively, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner blocked five shots on Wednesday to help his team secure a 116-107 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers took a 2-1 series lead and moved two wins away from the franchise's first NBA title.
After the game, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said that Turner is dealing with an illness which is affecting his conditioning, and he may not participate in the team's practice Thursday. According to Kevin Bowen of Indianapolis' 1075 The Fan, Carlisle said Turner played through what he called a cold that has made it hard to breathe. The Athletic's Zak Keefer reported that Carlisle said the cold is something Turner has been dealing with for the past few days.
Turner may take a rest day in between Game 3 and Game 4. Each game of the series thus far has had two full days in between. Game 4—which tips off Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis—is the first game of the series with only one day in between contests.
Turner played 30 minutes Wednesday night and scored nine points with five blocks and two rebounds. Over the postseason, he's averaging 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He wasn't included on Indiana's injury report ahead of Game 3. It appears he will continue to play through the illness, but may take some extra rest during the off day Thursday.
More NBA Finals on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rick Carlisle Provides Surprising Myles Turner Update Following Pacers' Game 3 Win.
