Pacers vs. Thunder: Jalen Williams explodes to fend off Indiana rally as OKC takes 3-2 NBA Finals lead

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This time, Indiana's rally fell short.

The Indiana Pacers cut an 18-point first-half deficit to two points in the fourth quarter Monday night. But the Oklahoma City Thunder did not relent and held on for a 120-109 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

With the win, the Thunder take a 3-2 series lead and stand one win away from securing the franchise's first NBA championship since it moved to Oklahoma City. They have Jalen Williams largely to thank for the win.

The third-year forward exploded for a playoff career-high 40 points alongside 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal to lead Oklahoma City to another gritty Finals victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined him with a big night of his own while pouring in 31 points, 10 assists and 4 blocks.

Jalen Williams with another big Finals effort

It was the third straight game in which Williams scored at least 26 points. His buckets were big Monday night and repeatedly thwarted the Pacers' efforts to take control of the game.

None were bigger than a 3-pointer with 8:06 remaining in the the fourth quarter. A Pascal Siakam 3 on the other end had just cut Oklahoma City's lead to 95-93 and resurrected memories of the Thunder's Game 1 collapse that allowed the Pacers to take a stunning 1-0 series lead. Williams attacked the basket in response and missed a tough layup in traffic. But Cason Wallace secured the offensive rebound, and the ball made its way back to Williams on the right wing. This time he didn't miss.

Williams drilled a 3 to extend Oklahoma City's lead back to five points, and a Wallace steal and layup pushed it to 100-93, forcing an Indiana timeout.

From there, the Pacers never threatened again on a night where star guard Tyrese Haliburton was a non-factor while playing on an injured right calf.

Tyrese Haliburton doesn't hit a field goal

Haliburton struggled through a first quarter in which he missed the only two shots that he attempted. He left briefly for the locker room after his scoreless quarter and returned with a wrap around his right calf for the second.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported at halftime that Haliburton was dealing with calf tightness.

Haliburton continued to play and appeared to move well despite the injury after returning. But he was not on his game. He finished the first half scoreless after missing all five of his field goals. He didn't score his first points until a pair of free throws with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter. He never hit a field goal.

Haliburton finished with 4 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. He finished 0 for 6 from the field and took just one shot attempt after halftime. His status moving forward will be a significant storyline as the series shifts to Indiana for Game 6 and the Pacers try to extend the Finals to a Game 7.

Jalen Williams has now scored 26, 27 and 40 points in consecutive NBA Finals games. (Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images)

T.J. McConnell, Pascal Siakam try to rally Pacers

With Haliburton struggling, it was T.J. McConnell who led Indiana's rally effort. The backup guard who's provided repeated sparks for the Pacers throughout the series lit another in the third quarter as Indiana cut Oklahoma City's 14-point halftime advantage to 85-79 late in the quarter.

McConnell scored 13 of Indiana's 34 third-quarter points and assisted on five more to put pressure squarely back on a Thunder team that dominated the first half. A Paycom Center crowd that watched the Thunder blow a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in a Game 1 loss was on edge.

Williams provided some relief before the start of the fourth. With 3.4 seconds left in the third, he fought through contact from Andrew Nembhard and hit a tough, contested floater off the glass to send the Thunder into the fourth quarter with an 87-79 advantage.

The bucket didn't end the Pacers rally, but it did put it on pause.

The start of the fourth quarter then belonged to Siakam, who scored 12 of Indiana's first 14 points of the stanza to cut OKC's lead to two points. But the Thunder never allowed the Pacers to take the lead after halftime and finished the game on a flurry to thwart any hope of another Indiana miracle.

McConnell finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in another big game off the Indiana bench. Siakam led the Pacers with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. But it was his six turnovers that better told the story of the game.

OKC rides defense, 3-point shooting to victory

Like in Game 1, Oklahoma City opened an early advantage with swarming defense. This time, the Thunder forced seven first-quarter turnovers en route to a 32-22 first-quarter lead that they extended to 59-45 at halftime.

Unlike Game 1's loss, Oklahoma City converted those turnovers into points. In the end, the Thunder scored 32 points off 23 Pacers turnovers. The Thunder offense limited its own giveaways to 11 that resulted in just nine Pacers points.

The Thunder took care of the ball while assisting on 24 of their 40 made field goals. The result in part was an efficient night on open looks from 3 in which Oklahoma City shot 14 of 32 (43.8%).

Williams (3 of 5) and Luguentz Dort (3 of 6) led the 3-point barrage from the starting unit. Aaron Wiggins (4 of 7, 14 points) and Wallace (3 of 4, 11 points, 4 steals) paced Oklahoma's 3-point shooting off the bench.

The series now shifts to Indianapolis for Game 6 on Thursday night (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), when the Pacers will seek to prevent an OKC championship celebration on their home floor. Until then, all eyes will be on the status of Haliburton's right calf.

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