The Oklahoma City Thunder return home on Monday night as they take on the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City was able to even up the series with a comeback victory in Game 4 on Friday night in Indiana after outscoring the Pacers 31-17 in the fourth quarter to grab the 111-104 victory.
They will now look to use their home court to their advantage on Monday night as they try to take complete control of the series with a victory which would put them one win away from a championship.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Mar 12, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket beside Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at Paycom Center.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Entering Game 5 on Monday, the Thunder have only one player listed on their injury report.
That player is rookie guard Nikola Topic who has missed his entire rookie season as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered last summer.
The good news for the Thunder is that their star center Chet Holmgren is not listed on the injury report after he suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Game 4.
Of course, the star big man was able to stay in the game on Friday night and he played a key role in the victory as he ended the game with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Chet Holmgren
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7).
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
This is massive news for Oklahoma City as they will have their entire core healthy and available for Game 5 on Monday and they will need their star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Jalen Williams to continue to produce if they want to take control of the series.
On the other side, the Pacers will be without two players in Monday’s game as they have ruled out both Jarace Walker and Isaiah Stewart.
For Walker, this will be his fifth consecutive missed contest due to an ankle injury and head coach Rick Carlisle said on Sunday that he is unlikely to return this season.
Fans can catch Monday’s Game 5 matchup between the Pacers and Thunder at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.