Gilgeous-Alexander supports Williams with 31 points, 10 assists to put Thunder 1 win from NBA title
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does up to score against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots around Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Matthew Stockman/Pool Photo via AP)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots around Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Matthew Stockman/Pool Photo via AP)
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does up to score against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots around Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Matthew Stockman/Pool Photo via AP)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the NBA's Most Valuable Player this season primarily by being a dominant scorer.
In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, he showed he's pretty good as a more traditional point guard, too. He had 31 points and 10 assists in a secondary role to Jalen Williams as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 120-109 on Monday night. The Thunder took a 3-2 lead in the series and now are a win short of their first NBA title.
Advertisement
Gilgeous-Alexander was the league's scoring champion this season, and he has led the team in scoring in all but four playoff games. Even when Williams has had breakout performances, they've largely been secondary to Gilgeous-Alexander's gaudy numbers.
Not this time. Williams scored a career playoff-high 40 points, so Gilgeous-Alexander didn't need to force things against Indiana's constant double-teams.
Gilgeous-Alexander still produced big numbers, going 9 for 21 from the field and making 13 of 14 free throws. But he was thrilled that Williams took the lead role.
'He can shoulder a load,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I've said this before — he does so many things for us as a basketball team on both ends of the floor when he's the best version of himself ... he was great tonight. Makes a world of a difference when he's that good, for sure.'
Advertisement
It makes sense that Indiana paid extra attention to Gilgeous-Alexander, who joined Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan on Monday as the only players with 15 or more games with at least 30 points in a postseason.
But Williams solved Indiana's defense again in his third straight game with at least 26 points. And when the Pacers tried to rally in the fourth quarter, Williams scored 11 points in the final period and Gilgeous-Alexander had nine points and four assists.
'Thought those guys played really well in the two-man game,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'Controlled the clock, controlled the game down the stretch, paced us ahead of them.'
It's all part of Gilgeous-Alexander's master plan. After last season's loss to Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals, Gilgeous-Alexander talked about stepping back a bit at times to help his teammates develop so they could be ready to help him at critical times.
Advertisement
It all clicked for Williams at just the right time. He made 14 of 25 field goals and 9 of 12 free throws on Monday night. He said he's thankful to be in a position where his teammates want him to succeed.
'I'm just in a really, really good situation that's allowed me to grow as a player at a more rapid rate because I'm not worried about what if I fail,' he said. 'I know I have guys that pick me up when I fall short. I try and do the same thing for them. I think our team chemistry's something that's got us here, kept us strong.'
Gilgeous-Alexander believes Williams has great games ahead. He hopes the next one is in Game 6 in Indianapolis.
'I'm not surprised by his performance tonight' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'Like, the kid works super hard. He has the right intentions. He deserves this moment. Now with that being said, we got one more game to win, and I know he's not satisfied by this performance.'
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bill Simmons Reveals 'Stupidest' Thing About NBA That Continues to Bother Him
Bill Simmons Reveals 'Stupidest' Thing About NBA That Continues to Bother Him originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The NBA Finals continued Monday night with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking a 3-2 lead over the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Arena after a 120-109 win over their Eastern Conference opponents. Advertisement The game included 28 points from Pascal Siakam of the Pacers and 40 points from rising Thunder star Jalen Williams, who was one of two Thunder starters in double digits along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 31 points for OKC. The Thunder's win has sparked conversations about what a potential OKC championship would mean for a superstar dominated league, especially considering the controversy that has surrounded him for his alleged "foul baiting" on the court. On Monday, longtime NBA scribe Bill Simmons shared his thoughts on the one thing about today's NBA that appears to bother him more than any other in comments viewed over 670,000 plus times. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander takes it to the rack, finishing with his left hand against Aaron Nesmith of the Pacers on Monday. © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images "Can we ban the 'Face of the League' convo? Let's just make it illegal. It's the single stupidest NBA conversation," Simmons wrote on X Monday. Advertisement The conversation surfaced earlier this year when fans debated whether Celtics star Jayson Tatum was worthy of the moniker after he helped lead the Boston to the 2024 NBA title. "Honestly, it's between Luka, SGA, Wemby or Cooper Flagg right now," one fan said. "Lmao you started it," another reader said. "Ur just mad it ain't Tatum," another added. "We all know Adam Silver is the face of the league," another fan added. "Yep. The league doesn't need one face. Plenty of stars to drive the entertainment factor," another reader added. Related: WNBA Makes Big Angel Reese Announcement During Sky's Win Over Sun This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Orlando Magic Called Out By Bomani Jones After Desmond Bane Trade
Orlando Magic Called Out By Bomani Jones After Desmond Bane Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Orlando Magic made a bold move recently as they dealt Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four first-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for high-scoring, smooth shooting guard Desmond Bane. Advertisement The deal helped to round out the Magic's roster with a scoring guard capable of making an immediate impact for coach Jamahl Mosley's team, which has shown promise in recent years but was knocked out of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs by the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics in five games. On Monday, former ESPN host and currently Wave Sports Entertainment host Bomani Jones shared his thoughts on the trade, including critical thoughts on the plans and state of the Magic franchise. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley during an April 13 game. © Dale Zanine-Imagn Images "Regardless of what valuation you put on these late round first round picks, in this era of NBA parity, I do not think that you can make the assumptions about how good you might be for how a team (the Magic) that doesn't have a frontline superstar. Advertisement "And so to me without the presence of a front line superstar, I don't understand what they're doing. I do not feel as good about the idea, with your two best players being Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner," Jones added. "I think at best it's a handful of low spades, and I think that Desmond Bane is somebody that qualifies as a low spade. I'm not saying they can't be trumps..." Jones continued on his show, 'The Right Time With Bomani Jones,' in a clip shared Monday. Related: Magic Boss Issues Strong Statement After Desmond Bane Trade This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Desmond Bane Makes Confident 8-Word Assertion With Orlando Magic Monday
Desmond Bane Makes Confident 8-Word Assertion With Orlando Magic Monday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Orlando Magic got busy on the trade market recently as they decided to ship Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four first-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Desmond Bane, a high scoring guard who could help coach Jamahl Mosley's team immediately. Advertisement The Magic's newest addition didn't come cheap, but he boast the type of polished skillset that can help Mosley's team reach new heights after a first round exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics. On Monday, the Magic shared a video of Bane acclimating himself to Orlando, including a confident eight-word take from Bane that had fans reacting. Desmond bane shoots over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on April 26, 2025. © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images "Toughest jersey I will ever wear. For sure," Bane said while checking out his new pinstriped #3 Magic digs. Bane seemed genuinely excited to don the new Magic jersey as he exhaled and held it up to the camera. "Orlando gonna be hell on 2K," one fan said. "These jerseys are so clean," another fan added. Advertisement "3-Rex," one fan said, nicknaming the man who already has one, 'Downhill Des.' "I hated the trade but that jersey is fire," another fan said. "Love it." "W rebrand," another added. Bane is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists for Orlando last season. He shot 48.4% from the field including 39.2% from three-point range, 4.4 percentage points off of his career high with the Grizzlies, for whom he played for five seasons. Bane will join Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and the rest of the Magic in hopes of helping the team to its first NBA Finals since 2009, when they beaten by Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Advertisement Related: Bill Simmons Reveals 'Stupidest' Thing About NBA That Continues to Bother Him Related: Orlando Magic Called Out By Bomani Jones After Desmond Bane Trade This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
