The Oklahoma City Thunder, the youngest team to reach the NBA Finals in 48 years, got 71 points from their prolific backcourt combination of Jalen Williams, who had a playoff career-high 40 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 31 points and had 10 assists and four blocked shots, the first player in NBA Finals history with a 30-10-4 game, to go along with stifling team defense to turn back the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in game five of the NBA Finals. The win moved the home team to a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven series.
As spectacular as the Williams/Gilgeous-Alexander duo performed at the offensive end of the floor, many of their points came from the pressure defense they and their teammates put on the Pacers from the opening tap to the final buzzer. This young Thunder team, rated the best overall defense in the NBA, showed why they earned the mantle by forcing the Pacers into an alarming 23 turnovers, many leading to fastbreak opportunities, along with easy and smooth execution at the offensive end of the floor. The Pacers’ turnovers produced 32 points for Oklahoma City.
Center Isaiah Hartenstein slams in two of his 4 points for OKC. PHOTO: CHRISTINE TANNOUS
Oklahoma City led by double figures throughout the first half and looked like they were about to rout the Pacers in the early stages of the third quarter before they put forth their best effort of the night. Led by reserve guard T.J. McConnell, who hit 13 of his 18 huge points, along with four assists, four rebounds, two steals; and the strong play of Pascal Siakam, who had 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, with two blocked shots, the Pacers cut the Thunder lead to two points at the 8:08 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Thunder defense then rose to the moment, creating steals and completely disrupting the Pacers’ offense. In a matter of minutes, they ran their lead back to double digits with Aaron Wiggins’s 14 points and Cason Wallace’s 11 points. They scored big baskets during the run. Those two players kept the Pacers at bay for the rest of the contest.
Along with their pressure defense, the Thunder physically dominated the Pacers, another key factor in their victory in this critical game five.
Oklahoma City frustrated Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who scored no points in game five. PHOTO: CHRISTINE TANNOUS
Another central question centers on a leg injury to Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton in the first half, limiting his body movement and productivity in the game. He finished with just four points and no field goals, went 0-6 from the floor for the first time in the playoffs, and had four turnovers in 34 minutes of play. He will require some therapy for his injured leg in order to be ready for game six of this series on Thursday.
The Pacers will need Haliburton to be more mobile and much more aggressive at the offensive end of the floor if they expect to win game six and extend this series to a seventh and deciding game.
The Pacers must also find a way to contain the Jalen Williams/Shai Gilgeous-Alexander combination, especially Williams, who has scored 17, 19, 26, 27, and 40 points in games one through five of this series.
Williams credits his teammates for his emergence as an offensive weapon to this point of the NBA Finals. “My teammates have shown great faith in me, which has raised my confidence to feel like I can do what I am doing,” he said. “I am just playing aggressively and imposing my will when I am in the game.”
“We are just doing what we do on a game-to-game basis,” said teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, adding, “We are a young team that is learning from every situation we face, especially in these NBA Finals. One of our biggest tests came with a victory in game four which tied the series at two games apiece and returned the home court advantage to us. With this win, our second straight of this series, we know that we are just one victory away from our ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.”
The Oklahoma City crowd was as raucous as ever and Coach Mike Daigneault mentioned it after the game. “Unreal,” he said about the Thunder’s home crowd after his team won game five. “They’ve been unreal forever, but they just put the wind at our back. …”
The Pacers face the daunting task of winning game six in Indiana to force a game seven back in Oklahoma City. “We know our backs are against the wall,” said Haliburton. “We will have to play game six like it is game seven or our season is over.”
Historical Note: The Pacers have a 2-13 NBA playoff record when trailing three games to two in a best-of-seven series.
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