Game 5 of the NBA Finals felt a lot like Game 1 as the Pacers continued to come back. But the Thunder held off their second-half charge to take command of the series.
Any fans who have watched their team play the Indiana Pacers this postseason knew the horror movie that was unfolding in Game 5.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were clearly the better team in the first half. It felt like they should have been up at least 20, but the lead was only 14.
In the second half, the Pacers completely changed the tone of the game. All of a sudden, after not getting into the paint at all in the first half, the Pacers were breaking down the Thunder consistently and getting layups and open shots off defensive rotations.
The lead kept dwindling and was down to two with 8:30 left after a Pascal Siakam 3-pointer. It was eerily reminiscent of Game 1 and the Pacers looked poised to add another crazy comeback to their postseason resume.
Then, a funny thing happened. The Thunder escaped from the boogeyman, got out of the haunted house. Using an incredible game from their second-best player and a return to form from their elite defense, the Thunder gave these shocking playoffs one more twist: a thrashing of one of the most clutch teams of all time in crunch time that gave them a 120-109 win and a 3-2 series lead.
Jalen’s Moment
Jalen Williams has had enough sensational moments in his career that it’s hard to pin one game as the Jalen Williams game. But Game 5 was the Jalen Williams game.
The big Thunder wing had 40 points, just one off his career high, and answered every Pacers’ run with a big play.
Williams played like a bruising run back in Game 5, embracing the physicality and remaining undeterred on his pursuit of the basket. And like a physical running back, he seemed to tire the defense out as the game continued.
Cutting has always been a huge part of Williams’ game, and it was how it got going early in the first half. Whether it was an offensive rebound or a drive, the second Williams’ defender took a glance in the other direction, Williams was gone.
As the game went on, Williams’ cutting opportunities dried up. So, he just got to the rim off the bounce instead. He even nailed 3 of 5 3-pointers as his confidence soared.
He’s gotten loose the last couple of games of the series by being more aggressive, but it came at the cost of four turnovers each in Games 3 and 4. In Game 5, he turned it over just once.
At times this postseason, Williams has struggled with his shot and finishing ability. But the process has been good at every turn. Game 5 was the pinnacle of Williams’ production, but it was made possible by his steady hand in the face of some slumping. Through everything, he remained relentless and consistent in his approach, and it paid off in a big way.
Hali Hurting
The biggest storyline for the Pacers was the ineffectiveness and injury of Tyrese Haliburton.
He injured his right leg in the first half and struggled to show as much bounce the duration of the game. The Pacers’ leader had just four points and didn’t make a shot from the field.
It’s hard to say exactly how much Haliburton’s injury hindered him, but it was clearly a factor. There were multiple possessions in the third quarter where he could’ve gone to the rim against a scrambling defender and opted against it.
The Thunder were being physical with Haliburton even before the injury and only stepped that up when he looked hobbled. He’s been the answer in every clutch moment during the Pacers’ magical run but wasn’t a factor down the stretch in Game 5. Obviously, the Pacers need a healthy and aggressive Haliburton in Game 6.
Bench Wars
Once again, the Pacers’ bench was the catalyst in a comeback for the team.
There aren’t many words left to describe the effort T.J. McConnell has put forth in the NBA Finals. The Thunder seemed to build a brick wall around the paint in the first half and stayed out of rotation on defense. This made every shot the Pacers got feel like struggle.
Then, McConnell got the whole team going in the third quarter. He finished as the second-leading scorer for the Pacers with 18 points and added four assists. But it wasn’t just the points. It was his ability to get downhill that changed the game entirely.
Obi Toppin brought great energy again, giving the Pacers two players who changed the tone of the game off the bench, just like Game 3.
But unlike Game 3, the Thunder bench met the moment as well.
Cason Wallace hit three 3-pointers in the first half, which tied the most he’s hit in a half all year. Alex Caruso struggled offensively, but Wallace and he each had four steals and several key defensive moments. Aaron Wiggins provided a spark as well with 14 points.
At the beginning of the series, the question was whether the Pacers’ bench could match the Thunder’s. But, with the emergence of McConnell and Toppin (and Bennedict Mathurin, who struggled with his shot in Game 5), the Thunder will probably take the benches playing close to a draw. The Pacers still had the bench edge with McConnell’s performance, but the Thunder’s bench did enough to make the impact close. That was the difference from Game 3, when the Thunder bench had just 18 points.
With the bench playing well enough and Jalen Willaims having the best game of his career, the Thunder were able to absorb Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s worst shooting night of the Finals. Of course, the “off” shooting night for SGA still featured 31 points on 9-of-21 shooting and 10 assists. But his brilliance has been the metronome for the Thunder this series. Now, the Thunder need just one more brilliant performance from their dominant duo to claim an NBA title.
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