At the Buzzer: R4G5 — Thunder 120, Pacers 109 | Indiana Trails for First Time This Postseason
Indiana rallied late but couldn’t overcome 23 turnovers or a limited Tyrese Haliburton, falling behind 3-2 in the NBA Finals. Jalen Williams scored 40 points in the game of his life.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Coming off a painful and frustrating finish by the Indiana Pacers in Game 4, at home, how will they respond? All season, they’ve been great at wiping their memory and moving on to the next game — win or lose.
That’s especially important in Game 5 Monday night at Paycom Center.
The winner of Game 5, after a 2-2 series tie, has gone on to win the series 23 times (74%). And 15 of those won in six games.
The game officials were John Goble, Marc Davis, James Williams, and Ben Taylor (alternate).
Jarace Walker (right ankle sprain) and Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) were both out. Rick Carlisle provided a positive update on Sunday.
The ESPN announcing crew — for the entire series: Mike Breen, Doris Burke, Richard Jefferson, and Lisa Salters.
Sports books favored the Thunder by 9 points.
ABC televised team introductions for the first time during these finals. A positive step for storytelling and in making it feel bigger.
Watch my live postgame show in the media player below:
🏀How it happened: Entering Game 5, rebounding and turnovers were of utmost importance for the Pacers. They trailed most of the game but nearly erased a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit. Ultimately, eight turnovers to just one for Oklahoma City in the final frame proved costly in a 120-109 loss.
Now the Pacers’ season hangs in the balance as the Thunder hold a 3-2 series lead.
Thunder fans brought the energy, creating an intense atmosphere at Paycom Center. The pace was frantic early, with the teams combining for 25 points in the first three minutes. OKC’s offense clicked from the start — hitting 8 of 10 from the field and scoring 16 of their first 22 points in the paint. An 18-5 run quickly gave them a double-digit lead.
The Pacers struggled to get organized offensively, protect the ball, and defend the paint. OKC’s historically great defense played with forced and imposed its will early, forcing turnovers. Head coach Rick Carlisle drew a technical foul, both out of frustration over inconsistent whistles and in an effort to spark his team.
What changed the game — and potentially the series — was guard Tyrese Haliburton grabbing at his right leg with about five minutes left in the first quarter. Something was clearly off. He eventually returned from the locker room with a heat pack wrapped around his right calf.
This area had begun bothering him after Game 2. He was noticeably limping at the time and has since played with kinesiology tape applied to that calf and ankle.