Thunder on brink of NBA title after game five win

Thunder on brink of NBA title after game five win
Jalen Williams scored a playoff career-high of 40 points in the Thunder's victory. Photo: Reuters
Jalen Williams erupted for 40 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Indiana Pacers to score a 120-109 victory and move to within one win of clinching the NBA Finals.
An enthralling game-five battle in Oklahoma saw the Pacers climb out of an 18-point first-half hole to get within two of the Thunder in the fourth quarter.
But just as Indiana threatened the latest in a series of trademark comebacks, the Thunder found an extra gear with Williams and NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steering the team to a pivotal victory.
The win put the Thunder 3-2 up in the best-of-seven series, meaning they can seal the NBA crown with victory in game six in Indianapolis on Thursday.
Williams finished with a career playoff high of 40 points, along with six rebounds and four assists, while Gilgeous-Alexander co-starred with 31 points, 10 assists, four blocks and two steals.
Pascal Siakam led the Indiana charge with 28 points but the Pacers were left sweating on the health of star point guard Tyrese Haliburton after the loss.
Haliburton, whose fitness has been under a cloud since game two of the series, left the game in the first quarter with a right calf problem before returning later in the contest.
The Pacers talisman finished with just four points from a bitterly disappointing outing – all of them coming from free throws – as the Thunder's vaunted defence clamped down on the Pacers. (AFP)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

South China Morning Post

a day ago

• South China Morning Post

Injured Tyrese Haliburton inspires Pacers to crushing win over Thunder, level NBA Finals

The Indiana Pacers, rallying around injured star Tyrese Haliburton, crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday to force a decisive Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Haliburton, cleared to play with a right calf injury only a couple of hours before tip-off, scored 14 points with five assists and two steals in a solid contribution to a comprehensive team effort. 'We just wanted to protect home court,' Haliburton said. 'We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. 'Backs against the wall, we just responded. So many different guys chipped in, total team effort. I'm really proud of this group.' Obi Toppin led the Pacers scoring with 20 points off the bench as Indiana's reserves out-scored Oklahoma City's bench 48-37. Tyrese Haliburton (right) celebrates with forward Pascal Siakam. Photo: AP Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Pacers, who had lost the last two games to stand on the brink of elimination, levelled the best-of-seven championship series at three games apiece.

RTHK

2 days ago

• RTHK

Pacers trounce Thunder to force decisive game seven

Pacers trounce Thunder to force decisive game seven Obi Toppin led the way for Indiana with 20 points. Photo: Reuters The Indiana Pacers, rallying around injured star Tyrese Haliburton, crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 to force a decisive game seven in the NBA Finals. Haliburton, cleared to play with a right calf injury only a couple of hours before tipoff, scored 14 points with five assists and two steals. Obi Toppin scored 20 points off the bench to lead the Pacers scoring. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Pacers, who had lost the last two games to stand on the brink of elimination, leveled the best-of-seven championship series at three games apiece. Haliburton, who said he'd do everything he could to play after limping through most of game five, showed virtually no sign of his injury as the Pacers grabbed the game by the throat in the second quarter and never let go. "We just wanted to protect home court," Haliburton said. "We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor." "Backs against the wall, we just responded," he added. "So many different guys chipped in, total team effort. I'm really proud of this group." Indiana led by 22 points at halftime and by as many as 31 early in the fourth quarter. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 21 points and Jalen Williams added 16. But the Thunder – winners of a league-best 68 regular-season games – were left searching for answers as the series heads back to Oklahoma City for game seven on Sunday. (AFP)

HKFP

2 days ago

• HKFP

‘Moving Great Wall': China's towering teen basketball star set to play at Women's Asia Cup

China look set to unleash their 2.26m (7ft 5in) 'moving Great Wall' at the Women's Asia Cup after teenager Zhang Ziyu put in another towering display days after her debut. The 18-year-old centre scored 18 points as China beat great rivals Japan 101-92 on Wednesday in Xi'an in a warm-up for the regional tournament next month on home soil. It was her third appearance for the senior Chinese squad, having helped them to blowout victories over Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend. Chinese state media dubbed her and gangly centre Han Xu the 'Twin Towers'. Zhang's looming presence on court — footage showed her barely needing to jump to make a basket — seemed to stump Japan head coach Corey Gaines. Asked if he had figured out a way 'to deal' with the teenager, the American ex-NBA guard told reporters: 'We'll just say: Interesting. Very interesting.' Zhang hails from northern China's Shandong province and had reached 2.10m by the end of primary school. She has been likened by Chinese fans to Houston Rockets great Yao Ming. Yao, who at 2.29m was one of the tallest NBA players in history, was known as the 'moving Great Wall' before retiring from basketball in 2011 and Zhang has now taken on the nickname. Both of Zhang's parents played professional basketball. Her father, Zhang Lei, turned out for the Chinese Basketball Association's Jinan Military Region while her mother Yu Ying played as a centre for Shandong, according to local media. The teenager may have a distinct height advantage but she has been told she needs to sharpen up. Experienced centre Yang Liwei said after Wednesday's win that Zhang 'could have been tougher on some shots'. 'I think she played at her normal level,' added Yang, who helped China win the Asian title in 2023. China meet Japan again on Friday at home for another warm-up. Both will play at the Women's Asia Cup in Shenzhen from July 13.