The Indiana Pacers stormed back from an 18-point first-half hole to make it a two-point game in the fourth quarter Monday night — but Oklahoma City never flinched.
Fueled by a breakout performance from Jalen Williams and another steady dose of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brilliance, the Thunder held off the rally and powered to a 120-109 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. With the victory, OKC takes a 3-2 series lead and is now just one win from clinching its first NBA title since relocating to Oklahoma.
And they can thank their third-year star for lighting the fuse.
Williams erupted for a playoff career-high 40 points, adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal, delivering clutch bucket after clutch bucket — none bigger than a dagger three with just over eight minutes left, moments after Pascal Siakam had cut the Thunder’s lead to 95-93. The bucket snapped a tense stretch and reignited the Thunder’s momentum.
After a Cason Wallace offensive rebound, the ball found Williams on the right wing — and this time, he didn’t miss. The three-ball splashed through, the lead stretched back to five, and Wallace followed with a steal and coast-to-coast layup to make it 100-93. Indiana called timeout, but the damage was done.
From there, the Pacers never got close again.
With star guard Tyrese Haliburton clearly hobbled by a right calf injury, Indiana had no answers. Haliburton finished with just 4 points on 0-of-6 shooting, managing only one field goal attempt in the entire second half.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous- Alexander continued his steady Finals MVP campaign with 31 points, 10 assists, and 4 blocks. OKC played clean, smart basketball, tallying assists on 24 of their 40 made field goals and shooting 44% from beyond the arc.
The Thunder’s deep bench added fuel to the fire — Aaron Wiggins scored 14 points on 4-of-7 from deep, and Wallace added 11 points and 4 steals, going 3-of-4 from three.
Game 6 shifts to Indianapolis on Thursday night, where the Pacers will try to avoid watching Oklahoma City celebrate a championship on their home court. All eyes now turn to Haliburton’s health — and whether anyone can stop this surging Thunder squad from seizing history.
