Jalen Williams Takes Over: Thunder One Win Away From the Title
Man, what a game. If you missed Game 5 of the Finals, you missed something special—the kind of performance that makes you text your buddies at midnight just to say “Did you SEE that?” Oklahoma City took control of the series with a 120-109 win over Indiana, and let me tell you, it wasn’t even that close. And the story? Jalen freaking Williams. Kid looked like he’d been waiting his whole life for this moment.
The JW Show
32 points. 9 boards. 6 dimes. Those numbers don’t even do it justice—this was one of those games where every time Indiana tried to make a run, Williams would hit some ridiculous shot to shut them down. Back-to-back threes in the fourth when the Pacers had cut it to single digits? Cold-blooded. Doris Burke put it best on the broadcast: “He wasn’t just good—he was fearless.” And that’s the thing about playoff basketball. Some guys shrink. Others? They turn into superstars overnight.
Here’s what’s wild: Shai was getting doubled all night (because duh, he’s Shai), so Williams basically became the offense. Coach Daigneault said it perfectly after the game: “He took the moment and made it his.” Chet Holmgren—who dropped 20 and 12 by the way—just laughed when asked about it: “When Jalen plays like that? Good luck stopping us.”
How This Thing Went Down
First half: Thunder came out swinging. Like, 15-point lead by the second quarter swinging. Williams had 18 before halftime while their defense was absolutely hounding Tyrese Haliburton (5-of-14 shooting—yikes). The pace? Insane. Every Indiana turnover turned into an OKC fast break before you could blink.
Second half: Pacers made their push, got within 8 late in the third… and then Williams said “nah.” That steal and dunk with 4 minutes left? That was the dagger. Paycom Center went absolutely bonkers—you could feel the noise through the TV.
Why OKC Won (And Indiana’s In Trouble)
On offense: 51% from the field, 40% from three, and 28 assists. That’s beautiful basketball right there. When Williams, Shai (28 points), and Chet are all cooking? Forget about it.
On defense: They completely broke Indiana’s pick-and-roll game. Lu Dort was in Haliburton’s jersey all night (6 turnovers!), and the Pacers never figured it out. Fourteen turnovers against this Thunder team? That’s basically suicide.
What Happens Now?
Here’s the scary stat: teams up 3-2 in the Finals win the series 72% of the time. After Indiana got blown out in Game 4, everyone thought this might go seven. Now? The pressure’s all on them back home.
Two big questions for Game 6:
- Can the Pacers adjust to OKC’s small-ball lineups? Because what they’re doing now isn’t working.
- Will Haliburton wake up? Dude’s been in a slump since Game 3.
But honestly? All eyes are on Williams. Can he do it again on the road? Because if he plays anything like this? Championship parade in Oklahoma City.
Everyone’s Talking About It
Twitter lost its mind—#JWIllMVP was trending all night. That dunk on Myles Turner? My feed was just that clip on loop for hours. Even the analysts were gushing. Chuck on TNT: “The Thunder aren’t just talented—they’ve got that championship mentality now.” Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer nailed it too: “Williams’ two-way game is the X-factor that could deliver OKC a title.”
Look, here’s the bottom line: Great players show up when it matters. Jalen Williams didn’t just show up—he owned the damn stage. One more win, and this young Thunder core does something nobody saw coming this fast. Indiana’s got one last shot at home… but something tells me JW isn’t done making statements.
Source: ESPN – News
