SGA Hypes 'Fearless' Jalen Williams, 'Was Really Gutsy' in Thunder's G5 Win vs. Pacers

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.

Third-year wing Jalen Williams dropped 40 points in the victory to put the Thunder one win away from the franchise's first NBA championship since moving to Oklahoma City. It was just the second 40-point game of Williams' young career, and it came at the best possible time.

"He was really gutsy tonight," Thunder star and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Williams, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "He stepped into big plays. Felt like every time we needed a shot, he made it. He wasn't afraid. He was fearless tonight."

Williams was aggressive in attacking the basket throughout Monday's contest and shot 14-of-25 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range while making nine of his 12 free throws. When Indiana cut Oklahoma City's 18-point lead to two, Williams hit a three-pointer that sparked an 18-6 run to help put the game away.

"Great force. I mean, that’s the word. We’ve used that word with him in his development. When he's at his best, he's playing with that type of force," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "That was an unbelievable performance by him, just throughout the whole game. He really was on the gas the entire night. Applied a ton of pressure. Thought he made a lot of the right plays. We're going to need a similar type of approach in Game 6 from him."

Williams is now the third-youngest player ever to score 40 points in an NBA Finals game behind only Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook.

"He’s one of those guys that you want to see succeed, especially when you know him personally," Thunder center Chet Holmgren said of Williams, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. "You want to root for him. You want him to do good just because he shows up every single day, does the right things. He’s a good guy off the court, treats everybody well. He’s always respectful. He works really hard. You want to see it pay off for him. … We don’t get here without him playing as good as he’s playing. So, we’ve got to make sure he gets his credit, gets his flowers."

Still, the 24-year-old is already ready to put this game behind him as he continues to focus on earning his first championship ring when the Thunder and Pacers return to action in Game 6 on Thursday.

"It's something more that I'll look back on later than worry about what kind statement it makes," Williams said. "I think the only statement we have right now is we're up 3-2 and we have to still go earn another win."