The Oklahoma City Thunder moved within one win of the franchise’s first NBA championship in 46 years on Monday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 120–109 in Game 5 of the NBA finals to take a 3-2 series lead.
Jalen Williams erupted for a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points and 10 assists, and the Thunder held off a furious Indiana rally to secure a chance at clinching their first title since 1979 in Game 6 on Thursday in Indianapolis.
It was the 10th time this postseason that Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams combined for more than 70 points in a game. Williams was 14-of-25 from the field and added six rebounds and four assists, including several key buckets late in the fourth as the Thunder weathered a Pacers push.
Oklahoma City finished with 14 made threes and connected on over 43% of their attempts from beyond the arc while committing just 11 turnovers. Their defense forced 23 Pacers giveaways leading to 32 points, limiting Indiana to just 11-of-30 from deep.
“That’s a really good team over there,” Williams said of the Pacers. “You just don’t trip into the finals.”
Indiana’s hopes took a devastating hit in the form of star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who appeared to aggravate a lingering lower leg injury in the first quarter. He briefly exited and returned with his calf wrapped, but was largely a non-factor offensively. He finished with four points, all on free throws, while missing all six of his shot attempts. It was the first time in his playoff career he was held scoreless in a half.
Haliburton added seven rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes, but the Pacers never quite looked the same with their floor general hobbled. The Thunder defense, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein, clamped down and turned missed shots into transition opportunities. Oklahoma City scored 17 fast-break points to Indiana’s 13.
“It’s the finals,” Haliburton said after the game. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete, help my teammates any way I can. I was not great tonight by any means, but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play.”
Indiana have now lost back-to-back games for the first time since mid-March. It also marks the first time in these playoffs that the Pacers have trailed in a series, having defeated Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York without ever falling behind.
The historical odds now favor Oklahoma City, whose first and only NBA title came in 1979, when the team was based in Seattle and known as the Supersonics. Teams that win Game 5 of an NBA finals tied 2–2 have gone on to win the title 74% of the time. Teams with a 3–2 series lead are 40-9 all-time in finals history.
Game 6 is Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where Indiana are 9–1 in the playoffs. Should the Pacers force a winner-take-all Game 7, it will be played Sunday night back in Oklahoma City.
