Jalen Williams shines as Thunder beat Pacers in game five of NBA Finals

Jalen Williams (X)

We all know what a spectacular season guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is having for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is not only having one of the best seasons in National Basketball Association history by a Canadian, but one of the very best seasons by a NBA player overall. On Monday night in Oklahoma City, it was time for Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammate Jalen Williams to shine.

Williams, a shooting guard from Denver, Colorado, was an All-Star for the first time in 2024-25, as he averaged 21.6 points per game. What we saw in game five of the NBA Finals, a 120-109 Thunder win over the Indiana Pacers, was a complete offensive performance, and one of the best games of Williams’s career.

The 24-year-old Santa Clara product had a career-playoff high 40 points. He made 14 of 25 field goals, nine of 12 free throws, and three of five three-point shots. Williams had six rebounds, four assists, and was a +14.

Williams’s previous playoff high for most points in a game was 34 points. That happened in a 128-126 Thunder win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in game four of the Western Conference Finals on May 26. At the time, the Thunder went up three games to one. Williams’s regular season high for most points in a game was 41, which he accomplished in a 146-132 Thunder win over the San Antonio Spurs on March 2, 2025.

On Monday, Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander contributed to 61.7% of the Thunder scoring as the NBA MVP had 31 points. Two more Thunder players reached double digits in points as shooting guard Aaron Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina had 14 points, and shooting guard Cason Wallace of Dallas, Texas had 11 points. Meanwhile, center Chet Holmgren of Minneapolis, Minnesota led the Thunder with 11 rebounds.

Oklahoma City now leads the NBA Finals three games to two. Game six is in Indiana on Thursday.

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