Jalen Williams channeled his inner beast after scoring 40 big points as the Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled the Indiana Pacers with a convincing 120-109 victory in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

With just a win away from writing franchise history, the OKC holds the advantage with a 3-2 series lead. On Thursday, it's all about an NBA championship or an extension to Game 7.

Jalen Williams' 40-Point Outing 'Too Much' For Pacers

2025 NBA Finals: Jalen Williams Drops 40 as OKC 2025 NBA Finals: Jalen Williams Drops 40 as OKC
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According to The Athletic, OKC survived the fourth quarter comeback staged by the Pacers thanks to Williams' career-high 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting. He drained three shots from beyond the arc and went 9-of-12 from the line.

Supporting Williams was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who contributed 31 points and 10 assists. In a game where he could not catch fire from three, SGA did a great job of driving to the rim and drawing fouls, converting 13-of-14 at the line.

OKC as a team rebounded from a weak Game 4 perimeter performance by connecting on 14 three-balls in Game 5.

Thunder Defense Deterrent, Causes 23 Turnovers

Oklahoma City's defensive ferocity was the decisive factor late. The Thunder made 23 Indiana turnovers and turned them into 32 points. Chet Holmgren held down the post with three of OKC's 12 blocks, as Lu Dort's game-long on-ball defense shut down Indiana's star point guard.

Tyrese Haliburton, fighting a calf injury, was scoreless on the field and had only four points in 34 minutes. With Haliburton restricted, seasoned guard T.J. McConnell kept Indiana afloat, with 18 points, 13 of which came in a fiery third-quarter comeback.

Pacers Rally Falls Short After Late Thunder Surge

Following a deficit as wide as 18 points, the Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter and brought the deficit down to only two. But Oklahoma City repulsed it with a closeout 10-0 run, paced by four straight forced turnovers and clutch shooting.

For NBA legend and known critic Charles Barkley, the NBA finals series was "already over" before it finished after the Thunder's comeback win in Game 4.

"Then they realize—Man, we gotta play our bench more. We're back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals. We're gonna go back big-big," said Barkley. "We can dominate them on the boards like we did. And they're going back to Oklahoma City. I think this series is a wrap. I thought tonight was a big deal for both teams."

Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting to lead Indiana, and McConnell was a big boost off the bench. Their efforts were not enough to overcome the Thunder's overall performance.

Pacers could have closed the game better, but Rick Carlisle's late-game "disasterclass" prevailed. Now, Indiana needs to regroup to get the Game 6 win on their home court.

For the Pacers, it's win or else. Keeping Haliburton healthy and productive will be key if they hope to take the Finals into a deciding Game 7.