Game ID: 42400405
Indiana Pacers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, June 16, 2025 at 8:30 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 32 27 28 33 120IND 22 23 34 30 109
IND @ OKC ScoutingIND @ OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 6/05 · 7 days' restBACK Jay. Williams back 5/24 after 2, 8 min since (52% of 14)
OKC availability going into 6/08 · 2 days' restBACK Jay. Williams back 5/24 after 2, 8 min since (52% of 14)
OKC availability going into 6/11 · 2 days' restBACK Jay. Williams back 5/24 after 2, 6 min since (43% of 14)
OKC availability going into 6/13 · 1 day's restNEW Caruso 21 to 29 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 6/16 · 2 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 6/11, out tonight
NEW Caruso 21 to 28 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 6/19 · 2 days' restOUT Jay. Williams missed 2 since 6/13, returns tonight: 12 min (83% of 14)
OUT Mitchell missed 3 since 6/11, returns tonight: 12 min (85% of 14)
NEW Caruso 21 to 30 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 6/22 · 2 days' restBACK Jay. Williams back 6/19 after 2, 12 min since (83% of 14)
BACK Mitchell back 6/19 after 3, 12 min since (85% of 14)
NEW Caruso 21 to 28 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 6/05 · 4 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 92 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Walker back 5/29 after 4, 10 min since (68% of 15)
BACK Bryant back 5/29 after 2, 9 min since (67% of 13)
IND availability going into 6/08 · 2 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 93 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Walker back 5/29 after 4, 10 min since (68% of 15)
BACK Bryant back 5/29 after 2, 9 min since (65% of 13)
IND availability going into 6/11 · 2 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 94 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Walker missed 2 since 6/05, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 5/29 after 2, 9 min since (70% of 13)
IND availability going into 6/13 · 1 day's restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 95 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Walker missed 3 since 6/05, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 5/29 after 2, 8 min since (61% of 13)
IND availability going into 6/16 · 2 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 96 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Walker missed 4 since 6/05, out tonight
NEW Toppin 20 to 25 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 6/19 · 2 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 97 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Walker missed 5 since 6/05, out tonight
NEW Toppin 20 to 25 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 6/22 · 2 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 98 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Walker missed 6 since 6/05, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 29 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. 2 days' rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Siakam at 21 and Haliburton at 18 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (96 straight), Walker (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been plus-3 a night and Indiana minus-2 and the turnovers, Indiana giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 13. Call it OKC 117, Indiana 109.
6/05 vs IND 110-111 — OKC notes
OKC lost 110-111. OKC took 16 more shots (98 to 82), fed by 10 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to IND's 48%, 11 of 30 from three. OKC turned it over 6 times to IND's 24. The glass went 39-56 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 38 (14 of 30, 3 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Williams added 17, Dort 15. Q1 was theirs, 29-20, but the other 3 periods went 91-81 against them. They led by as many as 15. Wallace's -13 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
6/08 vs IND 123-107 — OKC notes
OKC won 123-107. OKC shot 49% (40 of 82) to IND's 45%, 14 of 36 from three, and went to the line 33 times to IND's 26 — 29 points from the stripe to their 19. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (11 of 21, 1 of 4 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Caruso added 20, Jal. Williams 19. The hinge was Q2, 33-21: a lead of 6 became 18, and the lead reached 23. Wiggins was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
6/11 @ IND 107-116 — OKC notes
OKC lost 107-116. OKC shot 47% (37 of 79) to IND's 52%, 10 of 22 from three, and went to the line 30 times to IND's 22 — 23 points from the stripe to their 19. Jal. Williams led with 26 (9 of 18, 7 of 11 at the line); Gilgeous-Alexander added 24, Holmgren 20. Q3 was theirs, 29-20, turning a 4-point deficit into a 5-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 96-78 against them. Caruso's -15 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
6/13 @ IND 111-104 — OKC notes
OKC won 111-104. OKC shot 47% (37 of 78) to IND's 42%, 3 of 16 from three. The glass went 43-33 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 35 (12 of 24, 1 of 4 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Jal. Williams added 27, Caruso 20. The hinge was Q4, 31-17: OKC came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 7. OKC trailed 57-60 at the half and won the second half 54-44. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
6/16 vs IND 120-109 — OKC notes
OKC won 120-109. OKC shot 43% (40 of 94) to IND's 45%, 14 of 32 from three. OKC turned it over 11 times to IND's 22. Jal. Williams led with 40 (14 of 25, 3 of 5 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Gilgeous-Alexander added 31, Wiggins 14. The hinge was Q1, 32-22: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
6/19 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Siakam at 21 and Haliburton at 15 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (97 straight), Walker (5 straight). 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 31 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 26 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Indiana giving it away 18 times a game to OKC's 12 and the line, where OKC takes 31 free throws a game to Indiana's 26. Call it OKC 115, Indiana 112, Indiana keeping it close.
6/22 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 32 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 26 a game. 2 days' rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Haliburton at 15 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (98 straight), Walker (6 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been plus-3 a night and Indiana minus-3. Call it OKC 115, Indiana 109.
6/05 @ OKC 111-110 — IND notes
IND won 111-110. IND shot 48% (39 of 82) to OKC's 40%, 18 of 39 from three. IND turned it over 24 times to OKC's 6, and OKC turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 56-39 for them. Siakam led with 19 (7 of 15, 4 of 6 at the line); Toppin added 17, Turner 15. The hinge was Q4, 35-25: IND came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 1. IND trailed 45-57 at the half and won the second half 66-53. Nesmith was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
6/08 @ OKC 107-123 — IND notes
IND lost 107-123. IND shot 45% (37 of 82) to OKC's 49%, 14 of 40 from three, and got to the line 26 times to OKC's 33. Haliburton led with 17 (7 of 13, 3 of 8 from three); Turner added 16, Siakam 15. Q4 was theirs, 33-30, the deficit cut from 19 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 93-74 against them. Nembhard's -17 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
6/11 vs OKC 116-107 — IND notes
IND won 116-107. IND shot 52% (44 of 85) to OKC's 47%, 9 of 27 from three, and got to the line 22 times to OKC's 30. Mathurin led with 27 (9 of 12, 2 of 3 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Haliburton added 22, Siakam 21. The hinge was Q4, 32-18: IND came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 9. Toppin was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
6/13 vs OKC 104-111 — IND notes
IND lost 104-111. IND shot 42% (34 of 80) to OKC's 47%, 11 of 36 from three. The glass went 33-43 against them. Siakam led with 20 (6 of 15, 2 of 6 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Haliburton added 18, Toppin 17. Q3 was theirs, 27-23, but the other 3 periods went 88-77 against them. They led by as many as 10. Toppin's -15 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
6/16 @ OKC 109-120 — IND notes
IND lost 109-120. IND shot 45% (37 of 82) to OKC's 43%, 11 of 30 from three. IND turned it over 22 times to OKC's 11, and OKC turned those into 15 steals. Siakam led with 28 (9 of 15, 3 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); McConnell added 18, Nesmith 14. Q3 was theirs, 34-28, the deficit cut from 14 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 92-75 against them. Toppin's -16 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
6/19 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Siakam at 21 and Haliburton at 15 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (97 straight), Walker (5 straight). 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 31 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 26 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Indiana giving it away 18 times a game to OKC's 12 and the line, where OKC takes 31 free throws a game to Indiana's 26. Call it OKC 115, Indiana 112, Indiana keeping it close.
6/22 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 32 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 26 a game. 2 days' rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Haliburton at 15 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (98 straight), Walker (6 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been plus-3 a night and Indiana minus-3. Call it OKC 115, Indiana 109.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BM B. Mathurin
BS B. Sheppard
JF J. Furphy
MT M. Turner
OT O. Toppin
PS P. Siakam
TB T. Bradley
TB T. Bryant
TH T. Haliburton
TM T. McConnell
OKCAC A. Caruso
AW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IH I. Hartenstein
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
IND/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Game 5: Williams scores 40 points and Thunder win 120-109 for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead over Pacers
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Game 5 was starting to look like Game 1 all over again. Oklahoma City, at home, takes a huge lead. Indiana comes roaring back in the fourth quarter.
Indiana won that one.
This time, the Thunder crafted a different ending — and a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals was their reward.
Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 and the Thunder moved one win from a title by beating the Pacers 120-109 on Monday night.
“We're learning,” said Williams, whose previous playoff best was 34.
It was the 10th — and by far, the biggest — time the Thunder stars combined for more than 70 points in a game. Williams was 14 of 24 from the field, and Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 assists.
“It wasn't a perfect game at all and there's a lot of room for growth,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “But our improvement from Game 4 to Game 5 was critical.”
Pascal Siakam had 28 points for Indiana, which will host Game 6 on Thursday night. TJ McConnell added 18 for the Pacers, who whittled an 18-point deficit down to two in the fourth — then watched the Thunder pull away again, and for good.
“It kind of went away from us,” Siakam said. “But the fight was there.”
It was, but now everything favors the Thunder.
Teams that win Game 5 of an NBA Finals that was tied at 2-2 have gone on to win the series 23 times in 31 previous opportunities, or 74%. And teams with a 3-2 lead in the finals have won 40 times in 49 previous opportunities, or 82%.
But Game 5 was not easy. Far from it.
Down by 18 late in the second quarter, the Pacers — the comeback kings of these playoffs, with as many wins in this postseason from 15 points down or more (five) than the rest of the league has combined, including in Game 1 of this series — did what they do, chipping away. And they did it with Tyrese Haliburton reduced to basically playing decoy on offense because of a leg issue that he aggravated in the first quarter.
“He's not 100%,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “It's pretty clear.”
Led by McConnell, who scored 13 points in just under seven minutes of the third, the Pacers got within five late in that quarter.
Then, Siakam went to work — a pair of free throws with 9:19 left got Indiana within four, then a 3-pointer about a minute later made it 95-93. In the play-by-play era of the NBA, starting with the 1997 playoffs, teams with leads of 15 points or more in the finals were 80-9.
Make that 81-9 now, and the Thunder are one win away from giving Oklahoma City its first NBA title.
“That was honestly the same exact game as Game 1,” Williams said. “Learning through these finals, that's what makes a team good.”
One more win, and his team will be certified as great.