After leading by as many as 18 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder saw their lead evaporate to just two at 95-93 with 8:30 to play in the fourth. The Indiana Pacers managed to hang around, before Jalen Williams drilled a three after two misses from OKC, eventually kickstarting a huge rally to finish strong for the Thunder’s 120-109 win in a pivotal Game 5.

J-Dub dropped 40 points, including a superb fourth quarter where he nailed 11 points on 50% shooting. He finished with 56% shooting overall, including an efficient 60% shooting from three. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points, 10 assists, four blocks, and two steals, and OKC pulled away when it needed most.

Now, the Thunder are set to return to Indiana for a chance to close out the series on the road. They are one win away from a title since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. After a very long road, OKC is gunning its chances as the team now seeks to put the series to bed. However, it is going to be a tough challenge as they will battle a desperate Pacers squad on the road.

A Historic Night For OKC

J-Dub was on fire right from the start, fueling the energy and level of play that the Thunder played for the whole game. OKC was dominant right from the jump and found ways to grind out to explode for an 18-point lead at most. Indiana kept fighting back, but it was Williams who found the best shots to stabilize the Thunder’s pace and keep Indiana from making a deep push.

Nothing was easy, but Williams knocked down 14 field goals – in a game just a few days after he had two bad falls that would have taken a toll on his level of play at this point. Instead, Williams came up with a statement game, and showed that he can win big for the Thunder.

Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander were lighting and thunder in this win, combining for 71 points to lead the way. The star duo also was the second pair of teammates to drop 40 and 30 in a single game since LeBron James and Kyrie Irving did in the 2017 NBA Finals. Talk about being in elite company on the biggest stage of the game.

Haliburton Missing?

Tyrese Haliburton was held to just five field goal attempts in the first half of the game and had zero points. He finished 0-of-6 and only had four points coming off the charity stripe. He did have seven rebounds and six assists but was -13 as well. The Pacers guard also had three turnovers and three fouls.

Without Haliburton breathing life into the Pacers’ offense, Indiana could only hang back, with Pascal Siakam leading the way with 28 points and TJ McConnell pushing for 18 points off the bench. No other Indiana player had more than 15 points. The team committed a total of 22 turnovers in the loss and shot 36.7% from three.

With their backs against the wall, the Pacers now have one last chance to save their season as they return to Indianapolis in Game 6. It can be remembered that the Thunder managed to claim a massive win last time in Gainbridge Fieldhouse that led to the 2-2 tie. Now it seems that OKC is raring to make a deep push this time and win it all.