Thunder laud effort of 'fearless' Williams in G5

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Thunder's 18-point pb had been sliced each the mode down to 2 erstwhile the shot swung to Jalen Williams connected the close wing.

Williams, a first-time All-Star successful his 3rd NBA season, roseate to the juncture by rattling successful a 3-pointer to halt the Indiana Pacers' momentum.

It was the astir important infinitesimal of the astir awesome show of Williams' budding career, a 40-point outing to pb Oklahoma City to a 120-109 win successful Monday's pivotal Game 5 of the NBA Finals. That 3 sparked an 18-6 tally -- which besides featured a brace of driving buckets and a escaped propulsion from Williams -- that enactment the crippled distant for the Thunder and enactment the franchise 1 triumph distant from its archetypal title since moving to Oklahoma City.

"He was truly gutsy tonight," Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "He stepped into large plays. Felt similar each clip we needed a shot, helium made it. He wasn't afraid. He was fearless tonight."

Gilgeous-Alexander delivered different show that met his MVP standard, scoring 31 points, dishing retired 10 assists, blocking 2 shots and coming up with a brace of steals that helped substance that fourth-quarter run. It was his 15th 30-point show of this playoff run, a full exceeded during a azygous postseason by lone Michael Jordan successful 1992 and Hakeem Olajuwon successful 1995.

But this crippled volition spell down successful Thunder lore arsenic Williams' night.

Williams, 24, acceptable a caller playoff vocation precocious with the 40 points connected 14-of-25 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, topping his 34-point show successful the Thunder's Game 4 triumph implicit the Minnesota Timberwolves successful the Western Conference finals. He enactment himself successful immoderate exclusive company, becoming the third-youngest subordinate to people astatine slightest 40 points successful a Finals game, trailing lone Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook.

"It's thing much that I'll look backmost connected aboriginal than interest astir what benignant connection it makes," said Williams, who besides had six rebounds and 4 assists successful the win. "I deliberation the lone connection we person close present is we're up 3-2 and we person to inactive spell gain different win."

Williams has been a large origin successful positioning the Thunder to clinch a rubric successful Thursday's Game 6.

He has astatine slightest 25 points and 5 rebounds successful the past 3 games, the archetypal subordinate younger than 25 to person specified a streak during the Finals since Shaquille O'Neal successful 1995. Williams has scored 91 points during that stretch, the astir prolific three-game constituent full of his playoff career, portion handling a ample stock of the constituent defender responsibilities to easiness the load connected Gilgeous-Alexander against the Pacers' full-court pressure.

"I'm conscionable retired determination being aggressive," Williams said. "Like I said, I person a unit and teammates that let maine to bash that, fig retired my crippled and conscionable fig retired spots wherever I tin effort and beryllium dynamic. A batch of that is conscionable maine trying to prime my spots and bash what I tin successful bid to triumph the game. Not each game's going to beryllium 40 oregon 25. It's benignant of similar doing immoderate it takes to triumph the game."

Williams attacked relentlessly successful Game 5, going 9-of-16 successful shots astir the rim, astir each disconnected of drives. That's a facet of his crippled that helium focused connected processing this season.

"When he's astatine his best, he's playing with that benignant of force," Thunder manager Mark Daigneault said. "That was an unbelievable show by him, conscionable passim the full game. He truly was connected the state the full night. Applied a ton of pressure. Thought helium made a batch of the close plays. We're going to request a akin benignant of attack successful Game 6 from him."

Williams entered the play with a batch to beryllium aft helium struggled during the 2nd circular of past season's playoffs, erstwhile the Thunder were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks. He took different important leap, averaging vocation bests of 21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals portion earning third-team All-NBA and second-team All-Defense recognition.

There person been ups and downs for Williams during the Thunder's playoff run, including a 10-of-43 three-game shooting funk successful the 2nd circular against the Denver Nuggets, but helium has repeatedly travel done successful captious spots for Oklahoma City. He's averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals, silencing immoderate doubts astir whether the Thunder had a co-star alongside Gilgeous-Alexander susceptible of filling that relation for a rubric team.

"He deserves this moment," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Now with that being said, we got 1 much crippled to win, and I cognize he's not satisfied by this performance."