The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder held Tyrese Haliburton with no discipline objective and grabbed a 3-2 NBA Finals lead with a 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers Monday night time in Oklahoma Metropolis.
Jalen Williams had a career-high playoff 40 factors whereas Haliburton tied his career-low with 4 factors. Because the Thunder sit one recreation away from an NBA title, listed here are 5 takeaways from Recreation 5.
1. Jalen Williams dominated on a food regimen of robust pictures
Whereas the third-year guard Williams had a spectacular recreation with 40 factors, you might argue that the Pacers did not even defend him that badly. Williams has merely been spectacular on offense.
After scoring 26 factors in Recreation 3 and 27 factors in Recreation 4, Williams took it up one other degree in Recreation 5. He shot 14-for-25 whereas attending to the road for 12 free throw makes an attempt, scoring on leaners, financial institution pictures and a trio of three-pointers with gamers flying at him.
It has been an unbelievable development for Williams in his three NBA seasons. He was at all times a robust defender, however he is constructed himself right into a improbable second possibility subsequent to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — or a primary possibility if his group wants it. His coach from Santa Clara, Herb Sendek, revealed after the sport that Williams by no means scored 20 factors in his first two seasons of school ball, and had a lone 30-point recreation within the subsequent one.
Now he is placing up 40 in a Finals recreation.
2. The Thunder protection smothered the Pacers in crunch time
The Indiana Pacers reduce a giant Thunder result in two factors when Pascal Siakam drilled a three-pointer to make it 95-93. Oklahoma Metropolis seemingly determined that one of the best ways to maintain the Pacers from making pictures was to take the ball away from them earlier than they may attempt.
On the following seven Pacers possessions, the Thunder stole the ball 5 instances. Three of these steals went for straightforward twos, and the opposite two led to taking pictures fouls by the Pacers.
When the turnover carnage had settled, the Thunder had a 113-97 lead after an 18-4 run in 3:25 of recreation motion. Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso every had 4 steals within the recreation, two of seven Thunder gamers with a minimum of one takeaway.
It is onerous to win any recreation when your group commits 22 turnovers, however it’s particularly unimaginable to make a fourth-quarter comeback after giving up 4 steals in a row.
3. The Pacers level guards could not soar
There have been plenty of no-contact accidents within the NBA playoffs, however Haliburton’s mysterious calf damage in Recreation 5 might need had the worst timing off all of them. He fell whereas driving early within the second quarter on a play the place no Thunder defender touched him.
It is the identical leg that Haliburton injured in Recreation 2, which the group referred to as an ankle damage on the time. Shams Charania reported that Monday’s damage was “proper calf tightness,” and Haliburton was carrying a warmth wrap on the leg on the bench. However he appeared to have issue leaping off his proper leg, taking solely six pictures and lacking all of them.
The Pacers did get a giant effort out of backup T.J. McConnell. He scored or assisted on 18 of Indiana’s 34 third-quarter factors, and was Indiana’s main scorer by way of three quarters with 18 factors.
The one factor he could not do Monday night time was soar. After forcing a tie-up late within the third quarter, McConnell was whistled for a free ball foul when he hit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the arm on the following soar ball. ESPN’s Reggie Miller disputed that McConnell fouled him, explaining that the 33-year-old “simply could not soar that top.”
4. Chet Holmgren snuffed out numerous Pacers’ probabilities
Within the first half, Chet Holmgren could not have been hitting his pictures, however he was doing all the pieces else. He completed the primary 24 minutes with seven factors, three blocks and a steal, grabbing 4 of his 5 rebounds on the offensive finish.
In a pivotal second-quarter sequence, Holmgren blocked Pascal Siakam’s layup try, grabbed the rebound, drove the size of the court docket and scored — after rebounding his personal miss. Then he pressured two misses on the hoop on the opposite finish, serving to get the OKC result in 18 factors.
He completed with 9 factors and 11 rebounds, together with three blocks, however his +12 plus/minus score was a greater signal of the massive influence the 23-year-old heart had on Monday’s recreation.
5. The Thunder missed an opportunity to knock out the Pacers early
Within the first quarter, all the pieces went the Thunder’s manner. They shot 4-for-6 from three-point vary after solely making three in all of Recreation 4. The Pacers dedicated seven turnovers, together with a play the place Obi Toppin demonstrated he did not know the over-and-back rule. Seven completely different OKC gamers scored, it blocked two pictures and Indiana HC Rick Carlisle bought referred to as for a technical foul.
OKC did take a lead, getting its lead as much as 35-22 early within the second quarter and as much as 18 factors with 2:29 to go. However it nonetheless went into the locker room up simply 14 factors regardless of taking pictures 8-for-17 from distance and holding Haliburton scoreless, because of lacking 18 pictures within the paint. That allow the Pacers make a recreation of it within the closing quarter.
The Thunder managed to carry off the Pacers with robust protection and transition buckets within the fourth quarter. However in opposition to a group that is made a behavior of double-digit, last-minute comebacks within the playoffs, the Thunder may relaxation so much simpler if they may really land the knockout blow early.
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