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**Thunder Roar Back, Take 3-2 Lead Over Pacers in NBA Finals**
**Oklahoma City, OK** – The Oklahoma City Thunder, after a brief stumble, are back on track and one win away from claiming the 2025 NBA Championship. Behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers Monday night in Game 5, taking a 3-2 lead in the series.
The Pacers, who briefly led the series 2-1, now face elimination as they head back to Indiana for Game 6. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle has consistently emphasized the challenge of facing the Thunder, calling them “historically great.” That challenge now feels even more real after two consecutive losses, the Pacers’ first of the postseason.
Oklahoma City’s turnaround has been fueled by key adjustments. Coach Mark Daigneault re-inserted Isaiah Hartenstein into the starting lineup, utilizing his elite screen-setting to free up Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams to attack the basket. This, combined with increased defensive pressure that forced 23 Pacers turnovers, proved to be the winning formula in Game 5. The Thunder also found their shooting touch, connecting on 14 of 32 three-point attempts after struggling in previous games.
“There’s a lot of room for growth, but our improvement from Game 4 to Game 5 was critical,” said Daigneault after the game.
The Pacers, despite their impressive regular season record and showing in the first few games of the series, are now up against it, needing two consecutive wins to keep their championship dreams alive. Their struggles have been exacerbated by turnovers and the Thunder’s ability to exploit mismatches with Gilgeous-Alexander. Whether Indiana can summon the energy for two more games against this Thunder team remains to be seen. Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday in Indiana.
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