Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Thunder separated themselves in the fourth quarter, taking a 3-2 lead in the Finals

The Thunder were the more macho and disciplined team, chopping down the Pacers in Game 5 of the Finals with 32 points off turnovers and Jalen Williams’ 40-digit discharge. He said after the match, “I’d be lying if I said I could imagine doing what I did tonight, but I definitely could have seen myself here a long time ago…” The winners of Game 5 of the Finals after a tied series win the championship 74.2% of the time.

Coach Rick Carlisle called a timeout as the Pacers went down 17-12 when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove against Pascal Siakam in transition for a left handed layup. Carlisle then had to be restrained and earned himself a technical foul complaining to the ref as SGA zigzagged upcourt for another transition basket. His gripe was Lu Dort not getting flagged for contact on Andrew Nembhard on the previous possession but he did as the period went on. 

Seven turnovers and weak corner protection also set Indiana back as they went down by 10 going into the second quarter. Their deficit briefly expanded to 18 before halftime as they couldn’t outmaneuver Chet Holmgren’s tentacles at close range or suppress Williams’ rim pressure. Tyrese Haliburton was no help to Indiana, laboring through a calf strain, missing all five attempts against tight coverage and went into the break with a donut on the stat sheet. 

The Thunder had forced 10 turnovers and had a 12-0 advantage in fastbreak points at halftime. 

Williams followed up with more damage to Indiana, cutting up the middle on an ATO play, making a transition layup and burying a 3-pointer.  Subsequently, TJ McConnell extended the Pacers’ lifespan, shattering OKC’s coverages with screen rolls. Carlisle then made the mistake of holstering one of his best weapons, rolling most of the fourth quarter with Haliburton instead of McConnell. He said he was fatigued after the game.

Siakam’s rampage cut the deficit to two, but nonstop giveaways, pick-6s, plus Williams’ blow-bys through the middle and a shot over Aaron Nesmith at the nail spoiled Indiana’s comeback. Carlisle inserted McConnell back in during the last few minutes for Andrew Nembhard, but it was too late by then as the Thunder led by 14.

The Thunder won 120-109 while the half-court attack was slowed to 97.7 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 61st percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. They committed 11 less turnovers, outscored their guests in second-chance points (21-17) and made 14 triples to their 11. Four Thunder players logged at least three 3-pointers. The Game 4 win on Friday only had three logged for the group.

On the losing side, Carlisle said Haliburton was not “100%,” but he insisted on playing despite concerns at halftime. When asked about how the Pacers would stop Williams’ rim attacks, he  answered, “Get in front of him. Keep him from driving. Communicate better. Help when necessary.”