A career night from Jalen Williams has put the Oklahoma City Thunder one win from the second NBA championship in franchise history.

Williams amassed a post-season personal-best 40 points and the Thunder held off a late comeback attempt from the Indiana Pacers to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals with Monday's crucial 120-109 win.

Williams, who finished 14 of 25 from the field, and reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried Oklahoma City in the most pivotal game of this best-of-seven series. Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 31 points, 18 of which came in the second half to help keep the Pacers at bay, and added 10 assists.

The Thunder can clinch the franchise's first title since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008 when Game 6 takes place Thursday in Indianapolis. The Seattle SuperSonics captured the 1978-79 NBA championship by defeating the Washington Bullets in five games.

Indiana had won two of the series' first three matchups before losing Game 4 at home on Friday, and couldn't overcome an 18-point first-half deficit or a hobbled star guard Tyrese Haliburton in this one.

Haliburton, who's been playing through a nagging lower right leg injury, managed just four points in 34 minutes while going 0 of 6 from the field.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 28 points and T.J. McConnell delivered 18 off the bench in defeat.

The Pacers were shaky early on, committing seven first-quarter turnovers that the Thunder capitalized on. Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander led a 11-0 run that staked Oklahoma City to a 22-12 lead midway through the period, and the margin remained at 10 points entering the second with the Thunder up 32-22.

A 9-2 spurt later on, which began with five straight points from Williams, pushed the Thunder's advantage to 56-38 late in the second quarter.

Shai and JDub are the second duo in the last 40 years to score 40 and 30 in the same Finals game, joining...

LeBron & Kyrie (6/13/2016)
LeBron & Kyrie (6/9/2017)

ELITE COMPANY FOR OKC'S STARSpic.twitter.com/cxaJFtPVia

— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2025

Indiana fought back in the second half, however, as McConnell scored 10 points during a 14-6 run that got his team back in it. The reserve guard capped the flurry with a layup off teammate Myles Turner's steal to bring the Pacers within 81-76 with 1:42 left in the third quarter. 

The Pacers moved even closer after Siakam buried a 3-pointer with 8:30 remaining to trim the Thunder's lead to 95-93.

Oklahoma City locked down on the defensive end shortly afterward, though, and began to pull away. The Thunder forced four Indiana turnovers during a 13-2 stretch that put the contest out of reach, with two Gilgeous-Alexander free throws giving the Western Conference champs a 113-97 advantage with five minutes to go.