Jalen Williams delivered a career-best playoff performance to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers, moving them within one win of the NBA Championship.
Williams poured in 40 points — the most he has ever scored in a post-season game — as the Thunder withstood a spirited Pacers comeback to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.
Indiana, who had trailed by 18 points in the second quarter, fought back to within two in the fourth, but Williams and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved too much for the visitors. Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points and 10 assists to help Oklahoma protect their home court.
“My team-mates instil a lot of confidence in me to go out and be me,” said Williams. “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.”
Reflecting on the game’s similarities to their earlier series opener — which Indiana came from behind to win — Williams added: “Tonight was the exact same game as game one, to be honest. Learning through these Finals is what makes this team good and we were able to do that.”
The Pacers, now facing elimination, will return to Indianapolis for game six on Thursday night (Friday 01:00 BST), hoping for a response from star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who struggled in game five with just four points in 34 minutes.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle admitted Haliburton was not fully fit: “It’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game. We were concerned at half-time. He insisted on playing.”
Haliburton confirmed he would be ready for the crucial match despite his fitness concerns. “It’s the Finals, man. I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete, help my team-mates any way I can,” he said. “I was not great tonight by any means, but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play.”
Game six promises to be a fierce battle, with the Thunder looking to seal their first title since 1979 and the Pacers desperate to force a decider.