As the Pacers cut it to as little as two points, Williams dragged the Thunder to a win. He scored 24 points in the second half alone. Each time Indiana looked on the verge of retaking the lead, he knocked down a big-time bucket to soothe any worries.

The Oklahoma City Thunder got a special performance from one of their rising young stars in Monday night's 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams became the fifth-youngest player to score 40 or more points in NBA Finals history Monday night.

The Thunder duo of Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were simply too much fr the Pacers in Game 5 on Monday night.

JALEN WILLIAMS AND THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER Somewhere amid a thunderstorm, a star shined through. Jalen Williams played the best game of his burgeoning career on the biggest stage, and the Thunder are one game away from becoming NBA champions after a 120-109 Game 5 win over the Pacers.

Jerry West and Elgin Baylor did it often. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James did it a couple of times. And now, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have entered NBA lore.

Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams was already an All-Star after his first appearance this season. But, if there was any debate whether he was a true star in the NBA, he hushed it with a 40-point game in the NBA Finals on Monday night.

Jalen Williams played the best game of his burgeoning career on the biggest stage, and the Thunder are one game away from becoming NBA champions after a 120-109 Game 5 win over the Pacers.Williams scored a playoff career-high 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting to help Oklahoma City hold off a trademark Indiana rally.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Former Santa Clara Broncos great Jalen Williams had a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31, and the Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win from a title by beating the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.