Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder Withstand Resilient Pacers in Crucial Game 5 Finals Win

Jalen Williams registered 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting, and the Oklahoma City Thunder took a 3-2 NBA Finals lead with a 120-109 Game 5 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Pascal Siakam went on a scoring barrage to continue the Pacers' momentum in the early fourth quarter. He nailed a 3-pointer, dropped in a driving layup, executed a steal-and-slam, made two free throws and knocked down another triple to bring Indiana within two points. The Thunder, however, responded by scoring on 10 of its next 11 possessions.

Oklahoma City racked up 32 points off 22 Indiana turnovers, correcting its Game 1 wastefulness. Seven Thunder players collected a steal, four nabbed multiple — and Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace each tallied four.

Williams' masterful game also contained six rebounds (one offensive), five assists, one steal and a game-high +14 plus-minus. He drilled three of five 3-point attempts and nine of 12 free-throw attempts.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stuffed the box score with 31 points on 9-for-21 shooting and 13-for-14 free throws, 10 assists, four blocks, two rebounds and two steals.

Oklahoma City reserves Aaron Wiggins and Wallace combined for 25 points on 7-for-11 3-point shooting.

Tyrese Haliburton injured his right leg on a first-quarter fall and finished with four points on 0-for-6 shooting.

Siakam recorded 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting, six rebounds (two offensive), five assists, three steals and two blocks in the loss.

The Thunder started Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein for the second straight game.

The Pacers started Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Siakam and Myles Turner.

Both teams started out hot, combining for 12 makes on 16 shot attempts before the game's first timeout. Oklahoma City picked up six assists on its first six baskets, with five coming in the restricted area. Gilgeous-Alexander crossed over Siakam for a lefty finish and took Ben Sheppard to the rim on back-to-back possessions, extending the Thunder's lead to eight points after a made technical free throw.

The Pacers made one field goal between 9:04 and 2:23 — an and-one Turner layup to conclude a busted possession. They committed seven turnovers in the opening quarter, including five lost-ball giveaways. Oklahoma City nailed three straight assisted triples, with Wallace making his first two of the Finals, and led 32-22 after 12 minutes.

Wiggins converted his second three from quick offense following a Siakam turnover and his third 3-pointer on an around-the-horn play less than two minutes later. The Pacers responded with four scores on five possessions, as T.J. McConnell and Nesmith each drilled catch-and-shoot triples. Williams then flushed his second cutting dunk from Hartenstein and dropped in an and-one transition layup to restore a double-digit Thunder lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws to give Oklahoma City a game-high 18-point lead at 2:29, but Nembhard responded with an and-one driving layup past Caruso. Bennedict Mathurin rebounded a Haliburton missed 3-pointer for a layup to close the half. The Indiana point guard went scoreless on five first-half shot attempts. Oklahoma City maintained a 59-45 advantage through two quarters.

In the third quarter, Williams scored 13 points on perfect shooting and McConnell racked up 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting. The latter's interior heroics brought Indiana within six points before Williams banked in a contested floater with 3.2 seconds left. The Thunder led 87-79 after three quarters.

Oklahoma City looks to win its first championship in franchise history in Game 6 against Indiana this Thursday, June 19 at 7:30 p.m. CST.