Thunder rolls as OKC takes series lead 3-2

Thunder win 120-109

Postgame report - OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder came to PLAY tonight. Jalen Williams had the game of his career, dropping 40 points on 14/25 from the field. He knew OKC needed him and was not scared of the bright lights. SGA had an inefficient 31 points, going 9/21, but his impact went far beyond scoring tonight. Dishing out a smooth 10 assists (Haliburton had 6) and putting up 6 (!!!) stocks. However the biggest key to the Thunder victory was their 3 point shooting. After the abysmal 3/16 in game 4, they shot 14/32 tonight. That really shows the difference home court advantage has in these playoffs. Oklahoma City’s bench came up huge tonight, which was a must after they did not show up in Indy. Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace combined for 25 points, and Wallace and Alex Caruso came out with 4 steals each! Chet Holmgren had a poor night offensively, but his defensive impact was absolutely enormous. He was an elite rim protector all night (other than getting posterized by Aaron Nesmith) and pulled down 11 rebounds. The total team defense from OKC was just incredible tonight, forcing an astounding 22 turnovers, and holding Tyrese Haliburton to 4 points and 0/6 from the field (special thanks to Lu Dort). Last but not least, the crowd. Even through the TV screen, you could just feel the insane energy in the Paycom Center. They brought the energy and momentum swings the Thunder needed to close out this game in the 4th when the Pacers were trying to make one of their classic comebacks. Without them this game could’ve gone far differently. If Oklahoma City can bring this type of game to Indy on Thursday, they should have their first title in history. 

Postgame report - Indiana

Well, it's safe to say this wasn’t the game the Pacers wanted. Tyrese Haliburton did not show up when he was needed, posting an atrocious 4 points on 0 made field goals (100% of his points were free throws for all y’all Shai haters). Pascal Siakam did have a very efficient 28 points, though with 6 turnover, his efforts were not enough for the Pacers tonight. They went away from their full court press for most of the game, which had been working so well the past couple games, so that might’ve been a blunder on Coach Carlisle. A key to their success tonight was the turnover battle, and they had twice the amount of turnovers as OKC (22-11), and that is not a winning formula. TJ McConnell did all he could to propel them to victory with his ELITE 3rd quarter, but basketball is a team game and Siakam and McConnell did not have much help out there tonight. Aaron Nesmith had an elite shooting night, going ⅘ from 3, but his defense was not on the level it usually was. As the primary defender on Jalen Williams, he needed to be better. Other than the 3rd quarter, Indiana had a very poor night of basketball, and they need to bring their absolute best ball on Thursday to try and force a game 7. Don’t expect them to go out without a fight.

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