Backup guards end Thunder's three-point slump in Game 5 win

Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins shared a podium after Monday's 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers. They deserved to after they combined to sink seven threes, four more than their entire team did in Game 4.

The Thunder shot 3-of-16 behind the arc in Game 4. Wallace was a big contributor to their shooting struggles, going 0-of-8 on triples in the first four games of the NBA Finals. He was a big contributor to the team shooting 43.8 percent in Game 5 by going 3-of-4 behind the arc, hitting two in the first quarter.

Aaron Wiggins hadn't made a three-pointer since he shot 5-of-8 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. He went 4-of-7 in Game 5.

Getting that kind of three-point shooting from the sixth and eighth men in the rotation makes it nearly impossible for the Thunder to be shut down on offense. Indiana limited Chet Holmgren to 4-of-15 shooting, and Alex Caruso shot 1-of-8, but the outside shooting attack was too much for the Pacers to overcome.

It also let the Thunder keep pace with a Pacers bench that got 18 points out of T.J. McConnell and 12 from Obi Toppin. What has to be scary for Thunder opponents past and present is that Wallace and Wiggins could be around in Oklahoma City for quite some time.

Wallace was the No. 10 pick in 2024 and is under team control for two more years at just over $13M. Wiggins is signed for four more seasons at the bargain price of $34.5M, with a salary that declines for the next three years. They're both career 38.9 percent three-point shooters, who each can hold their own on defense.

The Pacers can't hope to win two straight games without winning the three-point battle. Wallace and Wiggins are making that battle a lot tougher.