BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder one victory away from winning NBA Finals

After another excellent performance, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now has his Oklahoma City Thunder one win away from securing the franchise’s first NBA Finals.

The league’s MVP — and likely Finals MVP if OKC can close this series out — poured in 31 points during Monday’s 120-109 Game 5 win at home over the Indiana Pacers. Gilgeous-Alexander shot a respectable 9-21 from the field while missing all three of his three-point attempts, but his efficient mark of 13-14 from the free throw line combined with 10 assists (he had none in Game 4), four blocks, and two steals more than made up for it. The former Kentucky Wildcat has now scored 31 or more points in four of the five games this series. He had “only” 25 points in the other.

But he wasn’t even the best Thunder player on the floor in this one. That would be Jalen Williams, who exploded for a playoff career-high 40 points on 14-25 shooting to go along with six rebounds and four assists. It marked the 10th time that Williams and SGA combined to score at least 70 points in a single game — and they couldn’t have picked a better time to reach double-digits. Williams, only 24, was spectacular from start to finish.

More history for SGA 🔥

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history with 15 or more 30+ point games in a single postseason! pic.twitter.com/x62BPS6pve

— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2025

For most of Game 5, the vibes felt eerily similar to Game 1 — when Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner right before the buzzer gave Indy its first and only lead of the night. Both games were in OKC and started with the Thunder rolling, but the Pacers always remaining within striking distance. Not even an 18-point OKC lead was enough to keep Indiana down for too long on Monday night. Despite Haliburton dealing with an apparent leg injury in the second half, the Pacers mounted a comeback, trimming the deficit down to as few as just two points in the middle of the fourth quarter. Indy’s backup point guard, TJ McConnell, was, for whatever reason, the best player on the floor at times.

But unlike Game 1, Oklahoma City found ways to respond down the stretch. Several clutch shots from Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, who combined for 20 fourth-quarter points, pushed the Thunder back to a double-figure lead and eventually across the finish line. Haliburton failed to make a single field goal on the night (0-6) while the Pacers turned the ball over 22 times.

“That was honestly the same exact game as Game 1,” Williams said postgame. “Learning through these Finals, that’s what makes a team good.”

Cason Wallace finally had his best game of the Finals, too. He was a starter in the first three games, but struggled offensively, which eventually moved him to the bench ahead of Game 4. The second-year Thunder guard hit 3-4 shots from deep in Game 5 on his way to finishing with 11 points, two rebounds, and four steals in 17 minutes. He was huge on both ends of the floor.

OKC now holds a commanding 3-2 series lead as both sides prepare for Game 6 later this week. The series shifts back to Indianapolis with tipoff set for Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The Thunder opened as the betting favorite, according to FanDuel, at -5 to win the game and take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Teams with a 3-2 lead in the Finals go on to win the series 82 percent of the time.