Thunder Take Series Lead After Game 5 Win Over Pacers

by James Van WicklerJune 17, 2025, 3:23 pmFeatured News, News >

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s chances were dwindling as their 18-point lead had gone all the way down to just a two-point lead when the ball swung to Jalen Williams on the right wing.

Williams, a first-time All-Star in his third season, rose to the moment by rattling in a 3-pointer to halt the Indiana Pacers’ momentum.

It was the most important moment of the most impressive performance of Williams’ budding career, a 40-point outing to lead the Thunder to a 120-109 win in Monday’s pivotal Game 5 of the NBA Finals. That 3-pointer sparked an 18-6 run that put the game away for the Thunder and put the franchise in a prime position to win its first championship since moving to Oklahoma City, as teams that win Game 5 after tying the series 2-2 have a significant chance to win it all.

“He was really gutsy tonight,” 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He stepped into big plays. Felt like every time we needed a shot, he made it. He wasn’t afraid. He was fearless tonight.”

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Gilgeous-Alexander delivered another outstanding performance, scoring 31 points, dishing out 10 assists, blocking 2 shots and coming up with a pair of steals that helped fuel the fourth quarter run. It was his 15th 30-point performance of this playoff run, a total exceeded during a single postseason by only Michael Jordan in 1992 and Hakeem Olajuwon in 1995.

But as much as Gilgeous-Alexander steals the show every night for the Thunder, Game 5 was Williams’ show to steal.

The 24-year-old set a new playoff career high with 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, topping his 34-point performance in the Thunder’s Game 4 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. He put himself in some exclusive company, becoming the third-youngest player to score at least 40 points in a Finals game, trailing only Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook.

“It’s something more that I’ll look back on later than worry about what kind [of] statement it makes,” said Williams postgame, who also had six rebounds and four assists in the win. “I think the only statement we have right now is we’re up 3-2 and we have to still go earn another win.