Thunder vs. Pacers: Jalen Williams explodes to fend off Indiana rally as OKC takes 3-2 NBA Finals lead
This time, Indiana's rally fell short.
The Indiana Pacers cut an 18-point first-half deficit to two points in the fourth quarter Monday night. But the Oklahoma City Thunder did not relent and held on for a 120-109 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
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With the win, the Thunder take a 3-2 series lead and stand one win away from securing the franchise's first NBA championship since it moved to Oklahoma City. They have Jalen Williams to thank for where they stand.
The third-year forward exploded for a playoff career-high 40 points to lead Oklahoma City to another gritty Finals win. It was the third straight game in which Williams has scored 26 points. His buckets were big Monday night and repeatedly thwarted Pacers efforts to take control of the game.
None were bigger than a 3-pointer with 8:06 remaining in the the fourth quarter. A Pascal Siakam 3 on the other end had just cut Oklahoma City's lead to 95-93 and resurrected memories of [the Thunder's Game 1 collapse](https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/live/pacers-vs-thunder-nba-finals-score-tyrese-haliburton-does-it-again-stuns-okc-with-game-winner-to-cap-furious-indiana-rally-in-game-1-223019302.html) that allowed the Pacers to take a stunning 1-0 series lead.
Williams attacked the bucket in response and missed a tough layup in traffic. But Cason Wallace secured the offensive rebound, and the ball made its way back to Williams on the right wing. This time he didn't miss.
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Williams drilled a 3 to extend Oklahoma City's lead back to five points, and a Cason Wallace steal and layup pushed it to 100-97, forcing an Indiana timeout.
From there, the Pacers never threatened again on a night where star guard Tyrese Haliburton was a non-factor while playing on an injured right calf.
Tyrese Haliburton struggled through a first quarter in which he missed the only two shots that he attempted. He left briefly for the locker room after a scoreless first quarter and returned with a wrap around his right calf.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported at halftime that Haliburton was dealing with calf tightness.
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Haliburton continued to play and appeared to move well despite the injury after returning. But he was not on his game. He finished first half scoreless after missing all five of his field goals. He didn't score his first points until a pair of free throws with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter.
Haliburton finished with four points, seen rebounds and six assists. He finished 0 for 6 from the field and took just one attempt after halftime. His status moving forward will be a significant storyline as the series shifts to Indiana for Game 6 and the Pacers try to extend the Finals to a Game 7.
_Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals:_