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The host Oklahoma City Thunder withstood a furious fourth-quarter comeback attempt by the Indiana Pacers on Monday night before pulling away for a 120-109 victory and a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.
The best-of-seven series will return to Indianapolis on Thursday night with the Pacers facing elimination for the first time in this year’s playoffs. If Indiana can force a Game 7, it will be back in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
The Game 5 winner has won the series 23 times in the previous 31 instances of the NBA Finals being tied at two games apiece.
Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton left the game for treatment after apparently aggravating an injury to his lower right leg, grabbing at it in obvious discomfort more than once. He played 10:04 of the first quarter Monday, then left for the locker room area and emerged with a wrap on his lower leg. Haliburton checked back into the game with 8:27 left in the first half.
Haliburton came into Monday averaging 17.8 points, 7.5 assists and six rebounds in the finals. He went scoreless in the first half of Game 5, appearing to be laboring at times while running or even walking.
It was the first time he was scoreless at halftime in 36 career playoff games. He scored his first points on a pair of free throws with 7:07 left in the third quarter and finished without a field goal and only four points.
For the Thunder, Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-high 40 points and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31.
It was the 10th time the Thunder stars combined for more than 70 points in a game. Williams was 14 of 24 from the field, and Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 assists.
Pascal Siakam had 28 points for Indiana. TJ McConnell added 18 for the Pacers, who whittled an 18-point deficit down to two in the fourth quarter—then watched the Thunder pull away again, and for good.
“That’s a really good team over there,” Williams said. “You just don’t trip into the finals.”
True. But now, everything favors the Thunder.
Teams with a 3-2 lead in the finals have won 40 times in 49 previous opportunities, or 82%.
But Game 5 was not easy. Far from it.
Down by 18 late in the second quarter, the Pacers—the comeback kings of these playoffs, with as many wins in this postseason from 15 points down or more (five) than the rest of the league has combined—did what they do, chipping away.
Led by McConnell, who scored 13 points in just under seven minutes of the third, the Pacers got within five late in that quarter.
Then, Siakam went to work—a pair of free throws with 9:19 left got Indiana within four, then a 3-pointer about a minute later made it 95-93. In the play-by-play era of the NBA, starting with the 1997 playoffs, teams with leads of 15 points or more in the finals were 80-9.
Make that 81-9 now, and the Thunder are one win away.
Oklahoma City 120, Indiana 109
INDIANA (109)
Nesmith 5-9 0-0 14, Siakam 9-15 7-8 28, Turner 3-5 6-7 13, Haliburton 0-6 4-4 4, Nembhard 3-8 1-1 7, Toppin 5-11 1-2 12, Bradley 1-2 2-2 4, Bryant 0-0 0-0 0, Mathurin 2-11 2-4 7, Furphy 1-1 0-1 2, McConnell 8-14 1-1 18, Sheppard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-82 24-30 109.
OKLAHOMA CITY (120)
Holmgren 4-15 0-0 9, Jal.Williams 14-25 9-12 40, Hartenstein 1-2 2-4 4, Dort 3-7 0-0 9, Gilgeous-Alexander 9-21 13-14 31, K.Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Caruso 1-8 0-0 2, Wallace 4-5 0-0 11, Wiggins 4-10 2-2 14. Totals 40-94 26-32 120.
| Indiana | 22 | 23 | 34 | 30 | — | 109 |
| Oklahoma City | 32 | 27 | 28 | 33 | — | 120 |
3-Point Goals_Indiana 11-30 (Nesmith 4-5, Siakam 3-6, McConnell 1-2, Turner 1-2, Mathurin 1-4, Toppin 1-5, Nembhard 0-2, Haliburton 0-4), Oklahoma City 14-32 (Wiggins 4-7, Wallace 3-4, Jal.Williams 3-5, Dort 3-6, Holmgren 1-3, K.Williams 0-1, Caruso 0-3, Gilgeous-Alexander 0-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Indiana 50 (Mathurin 8), Oklahoma City 45 (Holmgren 11). Assists_Indiana 23 (Haliburton 6), Oklahoma City 24 (Gilgeous-Alexander 10). Total Fouls_Indiana 25, Oklahoma City 24. A_18,203 (18,203)
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At this point if you’re shocked that Halliburton just doesn’t show up to play you haven’t been paying attention. This is who he is. You never know what you’re going to get from him game to game, it’s the most consistent thing you can observe about his mentality toward playing.
He is clearly hurt. And also he isn’t a dude that we need to score 30+ points every game. His entire style is getting the team involved and making the best play possible. I can clearly tell that most of the new Pacers “fans” that just started watching them when they made the Finals with their brand new Pacers shirts and hats didn’t watch too many games in the regular season.
lol. I became a Pacers fan when I went games with my dad at the Coliseum. Mic drop..
Hurt are not Hali has been like this for two years. His inconsistency is what holds him back being a true star in the league.
Correct. This has been a nice underdog run. When 18 of 29 turnovers come from the guard position in a critical home game….well, that pretty much hi lites some of the personnel weakness on this roster. Conservatively, if the Pacer front office is actually more intent on winning instead of having a ‘friendly fan roster’ they would need to upgrade the roster and bench with at least 5 free agents or trades. The upcoming draft will offer the Pacers nothing. They need better ball handling, shooting and rebounding across the board.
The series turned on the fourth quarter fade in game 4.
Defense lacked in this game. Not nearly as intense as previous. Tight man to man not there. Closer watch on boards needed. Come on Guys.