Jalen Williams writes name in Thunder lore with 40 points in Game 5 win over Pacers

USA Today

5 hours ago

Dancing with Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Williams went to his bag for his final bucket. A little bump and turnaround fadeaway looked as easy as riding a bike. He swished in the mid-range jumper. On the biggest stage of his basketball life, the 24-year-old delivered a performance that'll forever be remembered.
Williams finished with 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 9-of-12 on free throws. He also had a steal.
The Oklahoma City Thunder did their job with a 120-109 Game 5 win over the Indiana Pacers. A 3-2 series lead in the 2025 NBA Finals has them on the cusp of their first championship.
Holy crap. Talk about having a game that could change your career trajectory. Usually viewed as Robin, Williams stepped up as Batman with everything on the line. He made any pre-playoff concerns about him being a viable enough second option look silly.
Williams was unstoppable from the start. He destroyed Indiana's interior defense. The mid-range jumper found a groove. The footwork was impeccable. He bumped multiple defenders off him to create space. On top of all that, he got to the free-throw line at will. That was always the 24-year-old's biggest gripe all year. To get over that hump at the freaking NBA Finals is surreal to see.
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"At the same time, like halfway through the year, this was part of me and Mark talking about what it's going to take. I was figuring out my game a lot of it was not just looking for a foul, being able to finish through contact," Williams said on his free throws. "From there, if you finish through contact and make the shot, you don't really need the foul. That's kind of the way I've been approaching it."
As the Pacers cut it to as little as two points, Williams dragged the Thunder to a win. He scored 24 points in the second half alone. Each time Indiana looked on the verge of retaking the lead, he knocked down a big-time bucket to soothe any worries.
"Great force. I mean, that's the word. We've used that word with him in his development. When he's at his best he's playing with that type of force," Daigneault said about Williams. "That was an unbelievable performance by him, just throughout the whole game. He really was on the gas the entire night. Applied a ton of pressure. Thought he made a lot of the right plays. We're going to need a similar type of approach in Game 6 from him."
If the Thunder win the championship, "Game 5 Williams" will be talked about the same way as some of the all-time great NBA Finals performances. Perhaps those NBA folks who told Brian Windhorst he has some Scottie Pippen in him weren't that far off. But don't tell that to the 24-year-old just yet. He's in all business mode right now.
"My answer's going to suck because it's kind of going to negate your question. It's something more that I'll, like, look back on later than worry about what kind statement it makes. I think the only statement we have right now is we're up 3-2 and we have to still go earn another win," Williams said on what a 40-point game in the NBA Finals means. "It will be cool to look back on later on. Hopefully down the line I'll have, like, a more fun answer for you."
Williams has come a long way from last year's playoff struggles against the Dallas Mavericks. The 24-year-old has grown up over the last two months. Any fears of being a playoff dropper have been squashed. The Thunder are a win away from showing that.
"Every time we play in the Finals, it's the biggest game of your life. You know what I mean? I think that's given me a little more comfort in playing hard, playing aggressive," Williams said. "I think just to understand the opportunity that we have I just try to play as hard as I can. Whatever happens after that is where the chips fall."