Thunder One Win Away from NBA Championship as Pacers Star Goes Down
The Oklahoma City Thunder sit just one game away from their first-ever NBA Championship after their 120-109 Game Five win over the Indiana Pacers. Piggybacking off their Game Four victory, the Thunder fed off the electric PayCom Center. Thunder forward Jalen Williams led OKC in scoring, dropping a playoff career-high 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting from the field. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton scored just four points, missing all six of his field goal attempts. A tough night for Haliburton, who would exit the game in the first quarter due to a leg injury but later return.
Thunder Blitz Pacers Out of The Gate
Amidst a quick offensive start for both teams, OKC found their groove early, with a 9–0 run that gave them a 20-12 lead halfway through the first quarter. Thunder bigs Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein imposed their will defensively and scored eight of OKC’s first 23 points. Reserve Cason Wallace hit back-to-back threes to give Oklahoma City a 32-22 lead entering the second. Aaron Wiggins opened up the second quarter with back-to-back threes of his own, contributing to OKC’s eight first-half threes. Indiana struggled in the first with the absence and struggles of Tyrese Haliburton, finding themselves in a 59-45 deficit entering the break.
Indiana’s Comeback Bid Denied, OKC Holds On
Indiana continued their habit of coming out strong in the second half, as Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith each hit early threes to cut the lead to 11. At the 6:40 mark of the third quarter, Indiana inserted T.J. McConnell into the game. Down 11 at the time, McConnell scored 13 points in the final 4:58 to spark Indiana’s offense and cut the lead to 87-79 heading into the fourth. Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam scored nine of Indiana’s first eleven points in the fourth quarter as Indiana found themselves down by just two with 8:30 remaining. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped lead OKC down the stretch with seven points and three assists, while Jalen Williams’ clutch buckets were enough to put Indiana away. Tenacious defense from Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort forced turnovers and smothered Indiana’s chances of a comeback.
Oklahoma City One Game Away from Basketball History
A win tonight means the Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to rewrite their franchise's history on Thursday night in Indiana. Big OKC fourth quarters in Games Four and Five have snatched control of the 2025 NBA title away from the Pacers, and they will hope to close it out in Game Six rather than coming back home for a seventh game. For Indiana, Haliburton’s injury could be a major factor for Game Six and beyond. Despite their efforts without him, the Pacers’ closer will be needed at full strength if Indiana is going to win two games in a row against this historical OKC side. Hoping to hold serve at home and force a Game Seven back in Oklahoma City, Indiana will be presented with their first elimination game of this postseason. With the potential final game of the 2025 NBA season ahead, Thursday is set to be a historic night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
