Pacers 109 vs 120 Thunder Game 5 summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Finals
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A 40 point performance in the NBA Finals. Jalen Williams showed up in the biggest game of his life and secured his stats as a superstar in this league. The Oklahoma City Thunder are now a game away from their first NBA title and will try and wrap up the series in Indiana. Game 6 is Thursday night from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
I know SGA is the MVP, but this kid needs to be getting the proper credit. He's not a side kick, he is a superstar in his own right. The only bad thing, if you want to call it that, is he is on the same team as SGA. He won't mind playing second fiddle if it's going to mean an NBA title.
The stories of the night were Jalen Williams and the Pacers turnovers. Indiana gave away 7 turnovers in the 1st quarter, ended the night with 22 and had four straight possessions in which they gifted the ball to the Thunder in the 4th quarter.
Siakam's three with under 9:00 to go got the Pacers as close as they had been since the first half, but the Thunder were able to absorb the punch and come back with a run of their own.
The Pacers worked so hard to cut the lead down to single digits in the third quarter but just a minutes and some change into the 4th, it was OKC and Aaron Wiggins building a 10 point lead again.
McConnell and Toppin didn't just bring energy off the bench, they brought scoring. The Indiana bench had 41 points in Game 5, but they couldn't overcome the tough night for Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard.
T.J. McConnell went wild in the third quarter and took over the game for a few minutes. He had three straight buckets to cut the lead down to 7 in a 13 point 3rd quarter. He got them back in the game with Haliburton fighting through a leg injury that he suffered in the first half.
Williams was locked in from each and every spot on the court. His early drives opened up room on the perimeter where he was 3/5 on the night. It seemed like everything the Pacers threw at OKC, the Thunder had an answer for, and usually it was J-Dub.
Things started to turn around after the halftime break for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam was at the head of that on a night that Tyrese Haliburton only had 4 points and was held without a field goal.
Holmgren has more than a few flashes of brilliance throughout each game, but this was fantastic. A block on one end before going coast to coast and getting his own rebound for a put back.
The Hartenstein to Williaims connection was sensational all night. Most of Williams 14 field goals came off of drives to the basket and many of those were assisted by I'Hart who had four assists and eight rebounds.
An 11-0 run in the first quarter gave the Thunder an early double digit lead and Cason Wallace ended the quarter with a three ball to put the lead at 10 heading into the 2nd quarter. They would keep that cushion for most of the night.
SGA came into the night with 14 30+ point games. He wasn't the star of the show in Game 5, but he still got his 30 points while dishing 10 assists.
Chet Holmgren has been an X factor of the Thunder in this series and he may not have put up big scoring numbers but he dragged down 11 rebounds and had another 3 blocks to go on top of that.
The Oklahoma City Thunder returned home for Game 5 after winning in Indy on Friday night. They brought the same energy and same desperation on Monday night and took a 3-2 lead thanks to a 40 point night from Jalen Willams.
Hartenstein got things started off on the scoring end but he would play the distributor role for much of the night, setting up Williams for his huge 40 point Finals performance.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The OKC Thunder dominated from start to finish and take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals!!!
Furphy with the lay up and the foul! FT is no good after the foul on SGA.
The play stands and the Thunder get the ball.
Out of bounds on IND, but the Pacers are going to challenge with 1:50 to go.
Nesmith into traffic and he gets it to go on the tip in.
SGA goes at Siakam and lays it up and in down low.
Toppin to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he misses the first one. Timeout Thunder with 3:23 to go in the 4th quarter.
Williams into the paint and he hits the fader across the lane.
Nesmith drills a three ball from the top of the key to answer.
Dort sticks another big three ball off the pick and pop at the top of the key!
Toppin with the slam after Haliburton's offensive board and dish.
Siakam takes Caruso to the cup and lays it up and over him.
SGA to the line after the foul on Nembhard and he hits both FTs.
Nembhard thew it away and Williams goes to the line after the foul on Nesmith and hits one of two FTs.
Haliburton with another bad pass and this time it's Williams with the high arching lay up and he's got 37 points!!
Timeout Thunder with 5:48 to go!
SGA picks off the pass from Haliburton and he lays it up and gets the foul! FT is good after the foul on Haliburton.
Williams into the lane gets the running fader off the glass.
Haliburton to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits both FTs.
Dort with a huge three ball from the corner off the kick out from SGA! 7:00 to go in the 4th.
Turner to the line after the foul on Dort and he hits both FTs.
Wallace picks off the pass from Nembhard and takes it all the way on the steal and slam!
Timeout Pacers with 7:47 to go in the 4th quarter.
Willams answers back with a three from the wing after the fing from Dort!
Siakam with the offensive rebound and he gets it back and drills the three from the wing!
Williams to the line after the foul on Siakam and he hits one of two FTs.
Siakam to the line after the foul on Williams, his fourth. Siakam hits both FTs.
Haliburton finds Bradley down low for the lay up.
Wiggins to the line after the Siakam foul and he hits both FTs.
SGA turned it over after the break and Siakam took it all the way for the slam!
The ball stays with OKC as the call is overturned.
Out of bounds for the Pacers but the Thunder are going to challenge the call under their basket.
Timeout Thunder with 10:19 to go.
Siakam to the cup after the timeout, taking K. Williams to the rack.
Wiggins drills the three ball from the corner off the feed from SGA and it's back to a double digit lead!
Timeout Pacers with 10:50 to go in the game.
SGA lays it up with the leftie scoop down the lane.
Siakam drops the corner three to start the quarter!
WE ARE HEADING TO THE FOURTH QUARTER WITH THE THUNDER UP BY 8!!!
Williams hits the runner from outside the lane to end the quarter!
McConnell on the floater in the lane, and he gets the foul! FT is good and he's got 13 in the quarter, 18 on the night!
SGA backing down McConnell and hits the turn around fader at the FT line.
SGA back to the line after the foul on Nesmtih and he hits both FTs.
SGA lost the ball and McConnell takes it for the lay up in transition. That's 10 points in the quarter.
SGA to the line after the foul on McConnell and he hits one of two FTs.
Toppin down low and he powers it up and in from the block.
SGA on the step back from the elbow and he gets it to fall.
McConnell pulls up from the top of the key and he's got 8 points in the quarter!
Williams missed the lay up by Holmgren was there for the tip slam.
Toppin puts it on the deck and lays it up and in with a tough left handed lay up.
Williams to the line after the foul on Mathruin and he hits one of two FTs.
McConnell spins on Williams and lays it up and in. He's got 6 straight points!
McConnell back into the paint and he hits another fader.
McConnell into the lane and hits the fader.
Williams goes coast to coast and scoops it off the glass with the left hand!
Timeout Pacers with 5:22 to go in the third quarter!
Williams to the line after the foul on Haliburton and he hits both FTs.
Toppin sinks the three ball from the wing off the feed from McConnell! It's a single digit game for the first time in a long time.
Hartenstein to the line after the foul on Bradley and he hits one of two FTs.
Haliburton to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits both FTs for his first points of the night.
Turner to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits both FTs.
Williams drills a three ball off the feed from SGA and he's got 22!
Williams lost the ball and that turns into a Siakam lay up on the other end.
Timeout Thunder with 8:28 to go in the third quarter.
Williams sprints to the cup and lays it up and in with the foul on Nesmith! FT is good.
Turner from the corner off the feed form Haliburton and he strokes it! They need to see him get going.
Dort banked in a deep three ball from the wing!
Kick out from Turner and Nesmith drills the three ball !!
Siakam to the line after the foul on Hartenstein and he hits both FTs.
SGA goes behind the back and pulls up from the FT line.
WE ARE BACK IN OKC FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!!
Williams has 16 points already and most of them have been dunks, many of them off passes from Hartenstein.
Watch this from Holmgren. He gets the block on one end, goes coast to coast and gets his own rebound and put back as the Thunder took a 16 point lead. He's been such a difference maker for the Thunder in this playoff run.
It's been flurry after flurry for the Thunder who have built up and kept a double digit lead since the first quarter. Jalen Williams has been the best player on the court tonight with 16 points, 3 boards and 3 assists.
The Thunder shot nearly 50% from the three point line, and it was everyone getting involved including Cason Wallace. He and Wiggins both have 9 points on three threes off the bench. The Pacers turned it over 7 times in the first quarter, 10 times in the first half and Haliburton has been shut out after two quarters.
SGA has 13 points at the halftime break but he's got 5 assists already. He came out playing a more distributing role in Game 5, but you know he's going to turn it on in the second half.
Everything looks easy for the Thunder on the offensive end, while everything for the Pacers looks like a struggle when they have the ball. Holmgren has been busy on both ends of the court with 7 points and 4 rebounds.
The OKC Thunder came into Game 5 with all the momentum after winning in Indy on Friday. They kept same energy to start tonight's game and it's been all OKC so far tonight.
WE ARE AT THE HALFTIME BREAK WITH THE THUNDER UP 14!!!
Mathurin with the offensive board and reverse lay up down low.
Wallace strings a three ball off another dish from SGA and he's got three triple tries!
SGA sends Bradley to the line and he hits both FTs.
Mathurin to the line after the foul on Caruso but he misses both FTs.
Nembhard to the cup, laying it up and in and he gets the foul. FT is good after the foul on Caruso.
SGA to the line after the foul on Nembhard and he hits both FTs.
Holmgren with a block on one end, goes coast to coast, missed the lay up but got it and put it back up and in.
Nembhard dumps it off for Toppin who throws it down on the baseline.
Williams sinks a three ball from the top of the key and he's the top scorer with 15!
Williams to the line after the foul on Turner and he hits both FTs.
Nembhard to the rack, gets the lay up off the pump fake down low.
Turner to the line after the foul on Hartenstein and he hits both FTs.
SGA pull up from the midrange and he hits it over Siakam.
Williams to the line after the timeout and he hits the FTs.
Sheppard turned it over and Caruso was there to scoop it before looking up to Wlliams with the transition lay up, and 1!
Timeout Pacers with 7:14 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Williams with the slam over Nesmith of the timeout off the dish from Hartenstein.
Nesmith missed the three ball but Toppin got the rebound, kicked it back to Nesmith who hit it in the corner for three!
Timeout Thunder with 8:09 to go in the 2nd quarter!
SGA to the line after the foul on Turne and he hits both FTs.
McConnell was dared to shoot it and he drills the three ball from the top of the key!
Wiggins sticks another three ball off the kick out from K. Williams and the Thunder are 6//10 from DT
Siakam to the line after the foul on Wallace and he hits both FTs.
Siakam on the hook shot in the lane off the inbound from McConnell.
SGA looks up the floor after the 4th turnover from Siakam and finds Wiggins for the deep ball from the wing!
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER FROM OKC!!
SGA has 7 points to lead all scorers while Willams and Wallace have 6 a piece. Siakam has 6, but the Pacers turned it over 7 times in the first 12 minutes.
Wallace sticks the three ball from the corner off another dish from SGA!!
Siakam kicks out to Mathurin who sticks the three from the wing!
McConnell blows past Caruso on the baseline and lays it up and in off the glass.
Wallace drops a triple try for back to back threes for OKC!
Wiggins in the corner for three off the kick out from Williams!
Mathurin hits the seecond FT out of the TO.
Mathurin to the line after the foul on Hartenstein and he a FT before the Thunder take a timeout with 3:50 to go in the 1st quarter.
Williams sends Siakam to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
Hartenstein to the line after the foul on McConnell and he hits one of two FTs
Turner with an and one after a sloppy possession from the Pacers. Turner misses the FT after the foul on SGA.
Haliburton turns it over and Caruso goes straight to the cup off the bench and lays it up and in. 11-0 run for OKC.
SGA going coast to coast out of the break, and gets the lay up to go.
Coach Carlisle got T'd up after the play for a no call on the other end. SGA hits the technical FT.
SGA steaking to the cup and he took that all on his own before laying it up over traffic.
Timeout Pacers with 7:45 to go in the first quarter.
Williams gets back to the bucket off another dish from Hartenstein for another easy lay up!
Williams to the cup and he lays it up and in after Hartenstein found him cutting to the bucket.
Nesmith answers back with a three ball of his own from the wing!
Holmgren sticks a three ball from the corner off the feed from SGA who's got two assists already!
Turner to the rack and Nembard hit him in stride for the lay up.
Siakam lost the ball and SGA found Williams on the break for the slam in transition.
SGA to the line for the first time after the foul on Nembhard and he hits both FTs.
Siakam sticks the three ball from the top of the key off the dish from Haliburton!
Holmgren slashes down the lane and lays it up in traffic. He's had some great first quarters in this series.
Siakam gets the roll off the pick and pop from the elbow.
Nembhard stops on a dime in the paint and he hits the short jumper.
Hartenstein gets things going with a slam down the lane off the feed from Williams.
GAME 5 IS UNDERWAY FROM OKC!!!
OKC starters
The Thunder went with Cason Wallace in the first two game of the series. They went 1-1. Then they switched it up and put Isaiah Hartenstein in the starting five, they also went 1-1. Tonight they go back to the big man in the first five looking to take the series lead. It's Hartenstein with SGA, Dort, Williams and Holmgren to being Game 5.
Pacers' starters
Indiana knows how hard it's going to be tonight in OKC. They aren't changing anything from their first five to start Game 5. It's Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmtih, Turner and Siakam off the tip from Paycom Center.
Injury report: OKC
To get to the NBA Finals you’ve got to be good, but you’ve also got to stay healthy throughout the playoffs. That’s been the case for the Oklahoma City Thunder who have been the healthiest team in this postseason and tonight they have all hands on deck for this pivotal Game 5 at home. They won’t just have the a full roster available, they will also have the “sixth man” that is this insatiable Thunder crowd in OKC.
Injury report: Indiana
The Pacers have kept pretty healthy this postseason, but they did suffer a blow in their close out game against the Knicks. Jarace Walker sprained his ankle and was originally ruled out for the first two games of the series at least, but he hasn’t played a minute in the the Finals. He will be out for this pivotal Game 5 on the road. He’s not a huge piece of the Pacers puzzle but adds some depth and size off the bench. In 12 playoff games he as posting 3 points, 1.8 rebound and 0.7 assists.
Back to back wins
This series could come down to the first team to win back to back games. It hasn’t been done so far in this series and that should come as no surprise considering the way these two teams have showed their ability to bounce back following a lost. Since early march, the Pacers have lost just 11 times and in the previous 10 bounce back games they are undefeated, having won all 10 by a margin of 14+ points. It’s going to be up to Jalen Williams and the OKC Thunder to hand them their second straight win for the first time in a long time after taking care of business in Game 4. The Thunder have lost just seven times since early April, and their win on Friday was their seventh straight bounce back win after a loss.
Magic moments made in Game 5s
We have talked over and over again about how important Game 5s are in a 2-2 series. That’s why there are so many memorable moments to come from these games over the years. Steph against the Cavs, Kobe going into Orlando and dominating. Ginobili slamming it over Bosh. Pritchard drilling a third quarter buzzer beater to close out the Mavs. Jason Terry’s famous Jet celly in the Mavs win over the Cavs. Giannis’ alley pop late in the game off the feed from Jrue Holiday. And of course, Robert Horry’s late game heroics against the Pistons. The list goes on and we are surely going to have a moment that goes down in history tonight from the Paycom Center.
SGA’s favorite title
He goes by many titles. SGA for short. MVP of the NBA. The league’s top scorer this year. Having won Game 4 in Indiana, coming back to OKC for Father’s Day was even sweeter. He got to spend some family time before turning his attention on Game 5 tonight. With all the titles that have been bestowed on him, his favorite is “dad.” He is two wins away from his first championship title and a new title of NBA Champion. I’m guessing that would tuck in nicely behind “dad” as his second favorite title.
Caruso the key
There is nothing unsung about what Alex Caruso has been doing in the playoffs. He may come off the bench, and he may be the oldest player on the team, but the Thunder would not be two wins away from the NBA Title without the guy they call “unc” performing the way he has been performing in the playoffs. His minutes and points have bumped up since the postseason began. In the regular season he was averaging 19.3 minutes per outing and scoring 7.1 points a game. In the postseason he is getting 10 points per game on 24 minutes a night. He’s had three 20 point games in the postseason including last game, and three different games over four steals or more.
History of Game 5 in a 2-2 series
If you are just tuning it, it’s Game 5, and that is a huge moment in any series especially if the series is tied at 2-2 after four games. The winner of this game is a win away from winning the series and in this case the NBA Finals. In the history of the NBA Playoffs, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 81.8% of the time. Good news for the Thunder is that the home team have won those Game 5s 73.3% of the time. In the NBA Finals, the percentages are a little different. In the 31 series that have seen a 2-2 tie, Game 5 winners have gone on to win 23 of those Finals series, which is 74.2% of the time.
Star watch: Thunder
After a sub par Game 3 in which SGA was held to 24 points, we knew the MVP was going to have a bounce back performance. He had the most efficient game of his NBA Finals, going 12/24 from the field for 35 points. He may not have had a single assist in the game, but he came through in the clutch with a massive 4th quarter to lead his team to the win on the road. Tonight he is back in front of his home crowd and he is going to need to be the MVP of the NBA if the Thunder are going to take control of this series in Game 5.
Star watch: Pacers
I’m sure everyone has heard the stat already, but Game 4 reiterated what we already knew. Tyrese Halburton is the engine that drives this Pacers team, and it seems like there is a pretty simple formula for Indy to win. If Haliburton scores 20 points or more, the Pacers are 8-1 in the postseason. Last game he came up two points short, and Indy lost the game. Obviously, Haliburton needs to do more than just score 20 points. This team needs him to play the provider, and to set the rhythm of the game, but that stuff comes much easier if you are scoring the ball.
First four games recap
It’s been a wild series. We started with the Game 1 stunner from OKC. Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers shocked the world by winning the opener with a late game winner after getting dominated the entire night. The Thunder would dominated Game 2, and learned their lesson from Game 1, keeping their foot on the gas for the entire night as SGA led them to a comfortable 16 point win. Game 3 back in Indy was Tyrese Haliburton’s time to take the stage, and he flirted with a triple double posting 22, 9 and 11 assists as Benedict Maturin had a night to remember with a career playoff high of 27 points. Game 4 was the most evenly matched, back and forth game of the series, and tonight someone will take control of the series and end the night a win away from title glory.
Game 4 recap
It was the most even game of the series so far. The Pacers and Thunder went back and forth for four straight quarters with both teams exchanging leads throughout. Indy started the contest hot from downtown, hitting their first four threes of the game, but Jalen Williams countered that with 13 points in the the opening quarter. Chet Holmgren would get going, having a huge impact on the boards, while posting a 14 point, 15 rebound double double. Caruso came off the bench and had a big 20 points, but more than that was his impact defensively. He got 5 steals on a night that the Pacers turned the ball over 15 times. On the other end, Pascal Siakam had 20, 8, 5 and 5 and Haliburton had 18 and 7 as the Pacers led by 7 heading into the final quarter but SGA was saving his best for last. He scored 15 of his 35 in the final five minutes of the game and as usual had the ball in his hands to carry his team to victory.
We are live from OKC
Hello everyone and welcome to Paycom Center where the Thunder are back home after holding on for a late win in on Friday in Game 4 to turn the tide of the series and shift momentum back in their favor. They knew they couldn’t go down 3-1 to the Pacers, and played with the desperation of a team that was facing elimination and tied up the series before coming home. The Pacers know they let a massive opportunity slip through their fingers on Friday and they are going to have to find a way to rebound tonight on the road. The implications for tonight’s game cannot be understated. Game 5 winners have a rich and successful history winning series, and both teams know that coming into the Paycom Center tonight.
Pacers vs. Thunder Game 5
They call it the swing game Game 5 so often holds so much importance in determining a series, and tonight the team that finished the regular season with the best record in the league has the right to host under their own roof. The Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Indiana Pacers looking to build upon their Game 4 road win tonight. One team will go to sleep a win away from it’s first NBA title, the other will be facing elimination. It’s a huge game from Paycom Center and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s swing game from OKC.