Jalen Williams Drops 40 as OKC Is Now One Win Away From NBA Glory

Jalen Williams channeled his internal beast after scoring 40 large factors because the Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled the Indiana Pacers with a convincing 120-109 victory in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

With only a win away from writing franchise historical past, the OKC holds the benefit with a 3-2 sequence lead. On Thursday, it is all about an NBA championship or an extension to Game 7.

Jalen Williams’ 40-Point Outing ‘Too Much’ For Pacers

According to The Athletic, OKC survived the fourth quarter comeback staged by the Pacers because of Williams’ career-high 40 factors on 14-of-25 capturing. He drained three pictures from past the arc and went 9-of-12 from the road.

Supporting Williams was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who contributed 31 factors and 10 assists. In a recreation the place he couldn’t catch fireplace from three, SGA did a fantastic job of driving to the rim and drawing fouls, changing 13-of-14 on the line.

OKC as a staff rebounded from a weak Game 4 perimeter efficiency by connecting on 14 three-balls in Game 5.

Thunder Defense Deterrent, Causes 23 Turnovers

Oklahoma City’s defensive ferocity was the decisive issue late. The Thunder made 23 Indiana turnovers and turned them into 32 factors. Chet Holmgren held down the submit with three of OKC’s 12 blocks, as Lu Dort’s game-long on-ball protection shut down Indiana’s star level guard.

Tyrese Haliburton, preventing a calf harm, was scoreless on the sector and had solely 4 factors in 34 minutes. With Haliburton restricted, seasoned guard T.J. McConnell saved Indiana afloat, with 18 factors, 13 of which got here in a fiery third-quarter comeback.

Pacers Rally Falls Short After Late Thunder Surge

Following a deficit as huge as 18 factors, the Pacers rallied within the fourth quarter and introduced the deficit all the way down to solely two. But Oklahoma City repulsed it with a closeout 10-0 run, paced by 4 straight compelled turnovers and clutch capturing.

For NBA legend and recognized critic Charles Barkley, the NBA finals sequence was “already over” earlier than it completed after the Thunder’s comeback win in Game 4.

“Then they realize—Man, we gotta play our bench more. We’re back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals. We’re gonna go back big-big,” mentioned Barkley. “We can dominate them on the boards like we did. And they’re going back to Oklahoma City. I think this series is a wrap. I thought tonight was a big deal for both teams.”

Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 28 factors on 9-of-15 capturing to steer Indiana, and McConnell was an enormous increase off the bench. Their efforts weren’t sufficient to beat the Thunder’s total efficiency.

Pacers might have closed the sport higher, however Rick Carlisle’s late-game “disasterclass” prevailed. Now, Indiana must regroup to get the Game 6 win on their dwelling court docket.

For the Pacers, it is win or else. Keeping Haliburton wholesome and productive will likely be key in the event that they hope to take the Finals right into a deciding Game 7.