The Thunder are one win away from the NBA title after their 120-109 victory in Game 5. Jalen Williams led OKC with a career playoff-high 40 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 31 points, 10 assists and four blocks. Chet Holmgren grabbed 11 rebounds and had another cold night on offense with nine points, but Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace combined for 25 points off the bench.
Tyrese Haliburton, hampered once again by right calf tightness, failed to make a single field goal and finished with just four points, six assists, and seven rebounds. TJ McConnell (18 points, four rebounds, and four assists) kept Indiana’s hopes alive in the third quarter, and Pascal Siakam added 28 points to help his teammates rally after trailing by 18 points. The Pacers managed to close the gap to 93-95, but the smothering defense by the likes of Holmgren, Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso disrupted the comeback, and now their backs are against the wall.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Thunder victory:
Jalen Williams with a PLAYOFF CAREER-HIGH 40 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL as the Thunder TAKE A 3-2 SERIES LEAD after a 120-109 WIN 😤
OKC ARE ONE WIN AWAY FROM AN NBA CHIP! pic.twitter.com/tPdYd7i2F6
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) June 17, 2025
JDUB DELIVERS A GAME 5 MASTERPIECE 💯🔥
⚡️ 40 PTS (playoff career high)
⚡️ 24 PTS in 2H
⚡️ 14-25 FGM
⚡️ 3rd-straight 25+ PT game@okcthunder are now just 1 win away from an NBA Championship! pic.twitter.com/XQHbkCB2rz— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2025
SHAI WITH A ONE-OF-A-KIND FINALS PERFORMANCE 👀
🔥 31 PTS
🔥 10 AST
🔥 4 BLK
🔥 Only 30/10/4 Finals game since 1974THUNDER 1 WIN AWAY FROM A TITLE! pic.twitter.com/BCZT8s7iAF
— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2025
More history for SGA 🔥
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history with 15 or more 30+ point games in a single postseason! pic.twitter.com/x62BPS6pve
— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2025
Players in NBA history with 40+ points in a Finals game within their first 3 seasons:
• George Mikan in 1949
• Jerry West in 1963
• Rick Barry in 1967
• Magic Johnson in 1980
• Dwyane Wade in 2006
• Jalen Williams in 2025— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) June 17, 2025
Jalen Williams etching his name in the history books.
40 point Finals game is special company.
— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) June 17, 2025
The Jalen Williams Game. Truly incredible. Did literally everything. Becoming the co-star for SGA that OKC needed right before our eyes.
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 17, 2025
Jalen Williams, at 24y 63d old, is the youngest player to score 40 in an NBA Finals game since …
Russell Westbrook in 2012 (23y, 220d)
Before that?
Magic Johnson in 1980. (20y, 276d) pic.twitter.com/bw1xDNJLly
— Mr. Statistician Face Man (@tomhaberstroh) June 17, 2025
When Sam Presti took Jalen Williams 12th overall out of Santa Clara, most people thought it was a huge reach.
Williams has turned out to be the second-best player in the draft behind the No. 1 pick, Paolo Banchero.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 17, 2025
Jalen Williams had to scrimmage at the NBA combine because a month before the draft he was still trying to solidify himself as a surefire first-rounder
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) June 17, 2025
Jalen Williams had the best game of his career tonight. That is the biggest story.
But SGA became the first player to ever have 30 points, 10 assists and four blocks in an NBA Finals Game. This was exactly the game they needed from him.
Historic duo performance.
— Carson Breber (@Carsobi) June 17, 2025
In fairness to Magic Johnson, he played just five minutes before exiting.
Otherwise, it’s Tyrese Haliburton and guys from the 50s. pic.twitter.com/t3PoNybyKa
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) June 17, 2025
These players on the Pacers and OKC are really likable. Good kids. Jalen Williams is great. Buttoned up. I’ve enjoyed this Finals.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) June 17, 2025
