NBA Finals: Williams drops 40, OKC Thunder hold off Pacers to win Game 5, go up 3-2
Western Conference winners Oklahoma lead for the first time in the series and could wrap up the championship at home on Friday
Jalen Williams scored 40 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off an Indiana Pacers fightback to earn a 120-109 victory on Tuesday, and moved to within one win of clinching the NBA Finals.
An enthralling Game 5 in Oklahoma saw the Pacers climb out of an 18-point first-half hole to get within two points of the Thunder in the fourth quarter.
But just as Indiana threatened the latest in a series of trademark comebacks, the Thunder found an extra gear with Williams and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steering the team to a pivotal victory.
The win left the Thunder 3-2 up in the best-of-seven series, meaning they could seal the NBA crown with victory in Game 6 in Indianapolis on Friday.
Williams finished with 40 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Gilgeous-Alexander co-starred with 31 points, 10 assists, four blocks and two steals.
“My teammates instil a lot of confidence in me to go out and be me,” Williams said. “And [coach] Mark [Daigneault] has done a good job of telling me to just be myself. I don’t got to be anything more and that’s given me a lot of confidence.”