The Oklahoma City Thunder now sit just a game away from a championship after coming away with a 120-109 win in Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton was a no-show after dealing with an injury for most of the game, but Jalen Williams came to play for OKC.
Williams got off to a slow start to the series, scoring 17 points in Game 1 and 19 in Game 2 with inefficient games in both, but he’s been getting better every game. He led the way on Monday night with 40 points on a hyper-efficient 14/25 shooting, adding in six rebounds and four assists.
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With that performance, Jalen Williams joined Kyrie Irving (2016), Kevin Durant (2012), Dwyane Wade (2006), and Shaquille O’Neal (1995) as the only players in the last 40 years to score 25+ points in three straight NBA Finals games. Williams had 26 in Game 3 and 27 in Game 4.
Kyrie Irving, now the leading star of the Dallas Mavericks, also accomplished his feat in Games 3 through 5, scoring 30 in Game 3, 34 in Game 4, and 41 in a pivotal Game 5, a win that helped them overcome a 3-1 deficit.
That is a great company for Jalen Williams to be in. There were questions entering the playoffs if he was ready to be a star after being somewhat disappointing in last year’s playoffs, but he is living up to the billing this year. He was a first-time All-Star and All-NBA selection this year, and he has an outside chance of being the Finals MVP now.
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