Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-high 40 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5, moving within one victory of their first NBA championship.
The Thunder stars combined for 71 points, marking the 10th time this season they’ve exceeded 70 points together. Williams shot 14-of-24 from the field while Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 10 assists.
Oklahoma City overcame familiar territory after building an 18-point lead only to watch Indiana mount another fourth-quarter comeback. The Pacers cut the deficit to two points before the Thunder pulled away for good.
Thunder Stars Dominate Despite Pacers Rally
Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander combined to score or assist on 103 points, the most by any duo in an NBA Finals game over the past 50 years.
“We’re learning,” said Williams, whose previous playoff career-high was 34 points. “That was honestly the same exact game as Game 1. Learning through these finals, that’s what makes a team good.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised his team’s improvement between games while acknowledging areas for growth.
“It wasn’t a perfect game at all and there’s a lot of room for growth,” Daigneault said. “But our improvement from Game 4 to Game 5 was critical.”
Pacers Fight Despite Haliburton Injury
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 28 points while TJ McConnell added 18 off the bench. The Pacers played without full effectiveness from Tyrese Haliburton, who aggravated a leg injury in the first quarter.
“He’s not 100%,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Haliburton. “It’s pretty clear.”
Indiana demonstrated their playoff resilience by erasing an 18-point deficit to pull within two points in the fourth quarter. McConnell sparked the rally with 13 points in under seven minutes during the third quarter.
“It kind of went away from us,” Siakam said. “But the fight was there.”
Historical trends favor Oklahoma City heading into Game 6 in Indianapolis on Thursday. Teams winning Game 5 of tied 2-2 NBA Finals series have captured the championship 74% of the time, while teams holding 3-2 leads have won 82% of previous opportunities.