Game 5: Williams scores 40 points and Thunder win 120-109 for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead over Pacers

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Game 5 was starting to look like Game 1 all over again. Oklahoma City, at home, takes a huge lead. Indiana comes roaring back in the fourth quarter.

Indiana won that one.

This time, the Thunder crafted a different ending — and a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals was their reward.

Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 and the Thunder moved one win from a title by beating the Pacers 120-109 on Monday night.

“We're learning,” said Williams, whose previous playoff best was 34.

It was the 10th — and by far, the biggest — time the Thunder stars combined for more than 70 points in a game. Williams was 14 of 24 from the field, and Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 assists.

“It wasn't a perfect game at all and there's a lot of room for growth,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “But our improvement from Game 4 to Game 5 was critical.”

Pascal Siakam had 28 points for Indiana, which will host Game 6 on Thursday night. TJ McConnell added 18 for the Pacers, who whittled an 18-point deficit down to two in the fourth — then watched the Thunder pull away again, and for good.

“It kind of went away from us,” Siakam said. “But the fight was there.”

It was, but now everything favors the Thunder.

Teams that win Game 5 of an NBA Finals that was tied at 2-2 have gone on to win the series 23 times in 31 previous opportunities, or 74%. And teams with a 3-2 lead in the finals have won 40 times in 49 previous opportunities, or 82%.

But Game 5 was not easy. Far from it.

Down by 18 late in the second quarter, the Pacers — the comeback kings of these playoffs, with as many wins in this postseason from 15 points down or more (five) than the rest of the league has combined, including in Game 1 of this series — did what they do, chipping away. And they did it with Tyrese Haliburton reduced to basically playing decoy on offense because of a leg issue that he aggravated in the first quarter.

“He's not 100%,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “It's pretty clear.”

Led by McConnell, who scored 13 points in just under seven minutes of the third, the Pacers got within five late in that quarter.

Then, Siakam went to work — a pair of free throws with 9:19 left got Indiana within four, then a 3-pointer about a minute later made it 95-93. In the play-by-play era of the NBA, starting with the 1997 playoffs, teams with leads of 15 points or more in the finals were 80-9.

Make that 81-9 now, and the Thunder are one win away from giving Oklahoma City its first NBA title.

“That was honestly the same exact game as Game 1,” Williams said. “Learning through these finals, that's what makes a team good.”

One more win, and his team will be certified as great.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) defends during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does up to score against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) dive for the loose ball as Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) pursues during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) celebrates during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Indiana Pacers, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, top, dunks against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) battle for the ball during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots as Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, right, defends during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder players cheer during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Indiana Pacers, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault argues a call with the referee during the second half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Indiana Pacers, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle yells during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The son of a former prime minister of Bangladesh returned home Thursday after more than 17 years in self-imposed exile as a frontrunner to become the nation's next leader in upcoming elections.

Tarique Rahman moved to London in 2008 for medical treatment with permission after he was tortured while in custody during a military-backed government that ruled from 2006 to 2008.

Rahman, 60, is the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, one of two major political parties in the South Asian nation of more than 170 million people. His return is seen as politically significant ahead of the next election set for Feb. 12 under the current interim government.

A flight carrying Rahman, his wife and daughter arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital, Dhaka, late Thursday morning among tight security measures.

Massive crowds of supporters spread across an area about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) between the airport and a reception venue, where many had stayed overnight. A sea of people also waited at the venue. Rahman’s senior party leaders said earlier they expected “millions.”

After a reception, party officials said Rahman plans to go to a hospital to visit his critically ill mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who led a coalition government from 2001 until 2006 when a non-elected government backed by the military came to power during a period of political chaos.

Zia, a former housewife, came to politics after her husband, former military chief and then President Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in a military coup in 1981. She held power for the first time in 1991 after becoming a key leader in a nine-year movement against a former military dictator who was forced to resign during a mass uprising in 1990.

Zia is considered one of two key figures in Bangladesh politics along with Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia in November. Hasina was convicted on charges of crimes against humanity involving the crackdown on a mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule in 2024. India has not approved requests to extradite Hasina since she fled there last year.

In recent years, Rahman has been a de facto leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He regularly joined meetings and rallies online from London, keeping his party united. He was not openly challenged by any party insiders during his absence.

Bangladesh is now at a political crossroads. The interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is struggling to maintain law and order and restore confidence while attempting a return to democracy after Hasina's long premiership.

Global human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty International have accused the Yunus government of eroding democratic rights. Liberals in Bangladesh have expressed concerns over press freedom and minority rights and accused Yunus of presiding over a visible rise of Islamists.

Rahman supported Yunus when he took over as the government's chief adviser, but the relationship with his party has been shaky.

Rahman was convicted in several criminal cases during Hasina’s 15-year rule since 2009. Appeals courts under the Yunus government have acquitted him of all criminal charges including involvement of a grenade attacks on a Hasina rally in 2004.

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman shout slogans following his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after more than 17 years of self-imposed exile in London, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman shout slogans following his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after more than 17 years of self-imposed exile in London, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman's wife, Zubaida Rahman, left, arrives with her daughter Zaima Rahman at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as they return to the country, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman shout slogans following his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after more than 17 years of self-imposed exile in London, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman waves to supporters from a bus in Dhaka after returning from London, ending more than 17 years of self-imposed exile, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025.(AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, center, arrives at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, after returning from London, ending more than 17 years of self-imposed exile. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, waves to supporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after returning from London, ending more than 17 years of self-imposed exile, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)