Oklahoma City Thunder superstar and Canadian international Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hailed team-mate Jalen Williams in their pivotal Game 5 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Like the best betting apps Canada, where you can get great odds, the deck is certainly stacked in favor of the Thunder, as they took a 3-2 lead in the series.
That was partly down to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points and 10 assists, as the Canadian international delivered another performance that met his MVP standard.
But the plaudits belonged to Williams, who scored a career-high 40 points to lead Oklahoma City to a 120-109 win in Game 5.
“He was really gutsy tonight,” SGA said.
“He stepped into big plays. Felt like every time we needed a shot, he made it. He wasn’t afraid. He was fearless tonight.”
The 24-year-old Williams set a new playoff career high with the 40 points on 14/25 shooting, including 3/5 from three-point range, topping his 34-point performance in the Thunder’s Game 4 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“It’s something more that I’ll look back on later than worry about what kind statement it makes,” said Williams, who also had six rebounds and four assists in the win. “I think the only statement we have right now is we’re up 3-2 and we have to still go earn another win.”
Williams has been a significant factor in positioning the Thunder to clinch a title in Thursday’s Game 6.
He has at least 25 points and five rebounds in the past three games, the first player younger than 25 to have such a streak during the Finals since Shaquille O’Neal in 1995.
Williams has scored an overall total of 91 points while handling a large share of the point guard responsibilities to ease the burden on Gilgeous-Alexander who has still been outstanding.
“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.”
“I’m just out there being aggressive,” Williams said. “Like I said, I have a staff and teammates that allow me to do that, figure out my game and just figure out spots where I can try and be dynamic. A lot of that is just me trying to pick my spots and do what I can in order to win the game. Not every game’s going to be 40 or 25. It’s kind of like doing whatever it takes to win the game.”
