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OKC Takes Control of NBA Finals

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OKLAHOMA CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – OKC’s Jalen Williams scored 40 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

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The Thunder lead the series 3-2, moving themselves within a game of the franchise’s first NBA title since the team moved to Oklahoma City.

The series resumes Thursday in Indianapolis.

Even without much offensive production from Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers cut what was an 18-point first-half deficit to two on Pascal Siakam’s 3-pointer from the wing with 8:30 remaining.

The Thunder immediately responded, though, with Cason Wallace grabbing the rebound on Williams’ missed layup and flipping it to Lu Dort, who found Williams for a 3-pointer.

Can Indiana Steal Another One?

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OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder have been in this position before.

So, have the Indiana Pacers.

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The teams meet in Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight in Oklahoma City after the Pacers pulled off a stunner in Game 1.

Indiana opened the series with a 111-110 victory Thursday, when Tyrese Haliburton’s last-second shot put the Pacers ahead for the first time in the game.

The average margin of victory in those rebound victories is 20.5 points per game, though one was decided by two points and another by five.

Oklahoma City lost back-to-back games just twice during the regular season.

“The playoffs take you to the limit,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They put your back against the wall — in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on. The biggest experience we’ve had is understanding that every game’s a new game. The most important of the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome.”

The Pacers have won their first game in each round.

The average margin of victory in those rebound victories is 20.5 points per game, though one was decided by two points and another by five.

Oklahoma City lost back-to-back games just twice during the regular season.

“The playoffs take you to the limit,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They put your back against the wall — in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on. The biggest experience we’ve had is understanding that every game’s a new game. The most important of the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome.”

The Pacers have won their first game in each round.

In the last two rounds, the Pacers won the first two games of their series on the road as they have become accustomed to thriving in the underdog role.

“That’s been our thing the whole year, even at the beginning of the playoffs,” Indiana’s Obi Toppin said. “Everybody got the other team winning every single game. We just go out there and always do what we do.”

Haliburton said the Pacers have drawn motivation from last season’s playoff run, where they beat the Bucks and Knicks in the first two rounds before they were swept by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

“You come into the year with all the talk around how it was a fluke,” Haliburton said. “You have an unsuccessful first couple months and now it’s easy to for everyone to clown you and talk about you in a negative way, and I think as a group we take everything personal. … I feel like that’s the DNA of this group.”

Oklahoma City forced 25 turnovers in Game 1 — 20 in the first half — but scored just 11 points off those turnovers, helping open the door for Indiana’s comeback from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.

“We can’t turn the ball over that much,” Haliburton said. “We have to do a better job of being in gaps, rebounding, all over the floor.”

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 8

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – While your favorite columnist was not able to pack the bags and attend the 2025 NBA Finals, his eyes and all eyes will be on the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in a series that is bound to go six or seven games.

The Pacers did exactly what they needed to do and that was steal a game at OKC, and they did so in grand fashion. Tyrese Haliburton’s jump shot with only 0.3 seconds remaining was the only time the Pacers led the game as they marked the final score of 111-110.

OKC’s amazing (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 38 points in defeat.

Now, for some juice: The New York Times published a well written, well-illustrated and well-timed article on one of the NBA’s all-time greats. No, not an all-time great player but a photographer of all-time great players, in Nathaniel S Butler, aka “Nat.”

Recalling a photograph taken after Boston won the 2024 NBA title, Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum said, “He puts the time and the work in. He’s been doing this longer than some of us have been alive, and he’s captured some of the most iconic photos that we all grew up seeing in magazines and online.”

Putting the time and work in might be the understatement of Tatum’s incredible career. The east coast based Butler, along with west coast based Andrew D. Bernstein, became the founding tent poles of a division of the league’s headquarters office – NBA Photos – back in 1985-86.

It was then, under the guidance of NBA Commissioner David Stern, head of NBA Properties, Rick Welts and head of NBA Communications Brian McIntyre, that NBA Photos got the green light. WWYI knows because it was on my watch that we baked the idea for basketball and launched the stock photo agency which was eventually run by NBA Entertainment and then sold to Getty Images, Inc. at a serious profit for the league and its team owners.

Butler’s back story is almost as interesting as his career as a top notch sports (not just basketball) photographer. As a senior at St. John’s University in New York, he became the league’s “Second-ever Intern,” working out of the 645 Fifth Avenue/Olympic Tower HQ in New York City. While his daytime duties included compiling vast amounts of news articles and information for circulation to the NBA execs, the teams and media, his interest in photography quickly surfaced and he was assigned to cover important press conferences and a small but then growing number of games in New York and New Jersey.

While Bernstein was shooting with color strobes on 35mm film at the two venues in Los Angeles (The Fabulous Forum – LA Lakers) and (The LA Sports Arena – LA Clippers), Butler was shooting mostly Black & White action photography to stock the non-existent league archives while supplying NBA Today and hoop with great photography. As the demand grew and NBA Photos was launched, Butler was able to gain more and more access and equipment (better Nikon cameras/lenses and sets of strobes for Madison Square Garden and The Meadowlands). While he assisted Sports Illustrated greats like Walter Iooss Jr., Manny Milan, and John Iacono, and continued to help his father run “Lazy Bones,” a fishing boat business based in Montauk Point, Long Island, Butler photographed more and more NBA basketball.

By 1986, we were able to go full speed ahead with NBA Photos and Butler came on board fulltime. This year now marks 39 straight NBA Finals for the man everyone simply calls “Nat.”

His new “coffee table” book entitled, “Courtside: Forty Years of NBA Photography,” is a must buy.

On it’s landing page on Amazon books, the description reads: “Forty years of stunning basketball photography—both on the court and off—from one of the sport’s greatest chroniclers. This handsome coffee table book is the perfect gift for the basketball fan in your life.

“As one of the NBA’s premier photographers, Nathaniel S Butler has shot it all. From iconic moments like Ray Allen’s corner three for Miami to intimate portraits of Bill Russell of the Celtics and the NBA@50 and NBA@75 teams to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry clinching championships, if it was a history-making basketball moment, Butler was there.”

At a later date, we’ll all do a deeper dive into the details of NBA Photos becoming a major wing of the NBA, NBA Entertainment and as a service to all 30 NBA teams. By the time the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend comes around, we’ll be approaching 40 years for the crew.

NHL Commissioner Gary B. Bettman and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov just last year (Getty Images)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: If Games 1 and 2 are any indication, the 2025 Stanley Cup Final (note the NHL states Final) (as in a singular event) just might go seven games. The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are tied at 1-game apiece as the series makes the short trip (3,014 miles by car) from Edmonton to South Florida for Game 3. Both of the opening games in Edmonton went into OT, with the Oilers winning Game 1, 4-3, while the Panthers evened it up at 1-1 in games with a 5-4, Double OT thriller on Friday. No matter which teams wins Game 3 (Monday), the fourth game (Thursday, June 12th) will be quite a war. Stay tuned and 2025 will prove the pundits wrong as sports fans head to their TVs to watch great competition in both the NHL and NBA, no matter the size of market nor the origination of the country (Canada).

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: A whole lotta news coming from off days at the NBA Finals. Commissioner Adam Silver was quoted as saying the NBA is considering an international themed NBA All-Star Game for the 2026 game. The serious consideration comes from another couple years of ho-hum competition at the annual starcast while the NHL enjoyed a bump in interest with its 4 Nations event at this past winter’s event. Silver also noted the NBA ASG will be aired by NBC Sports next year and the schedule has the game on a Sunday when morning coverage of the Winter Olympic Games might lead to an open window midday and primetime Olympics viewing that Sunday night. Not a bad idea.

By the way, Silver took some blowback on social media and general coverage with the fact the NBA did not decorate the OKC Thunder basketball floor with NBA Finals decals and other festive, event-markings.

Maybe letting the home team decide what goes where and placing the Thunder and Pacers at centerstage and letting the game of basketball provide the entertainment is actually a great idea by the NBA. Many media members and fans were clamoring over the need for the bigger market teams to play in the NBA Finals, but as Indiana and OKC progressed, the more educated basketball fans eagerly awaited the match-up. The Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton came through in a big way.

THIS JEST IN: Multiple media reports from New York are stating that New York Knickerbockers player exit interviews were at the root of the club’s firing of head coach Tom Thibideau. Seems the season-long rumors of Thibs playing his starters/veterans too many minutes came back to bite him. NY Knicks team owner/governor Jim Dolan and team GM Leon Rose conducted the exit interviews, according to Yahoo. Although Jason Kidd has been rumored for the job, logic points to Mike Malone who was fired by Denver as the 2025 season came to a close. Kidd is currently un der contract with Dallas and has the draft rights to Cooper Flagg in his mitts.

CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Former NFL defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones is in trouble once again. Pacman was arrested early Saturday morning in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jones, 41, was booked just before 2:00am by a Kenton County, Ohio jail, according to the court records. He was arrested by the Covington Police Department and charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place, disorderly conduct, and assault of a police officer. Jones posted a $10,000 bond and was released around 11:30am Saturday.

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Saturday’s arrest in Covington, which is across the river from Cincinnati, marked the fourth time since 2021 that Jones was arrested. He has now been booked on a public intoxication charge three years in a row.

The recent charges pale in comparison to a 2007 incident during the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.

In that incident (in which many tried to blame on the NBA gathering), Arvin Kenti Edwards, (then) 32, of Renton, Washington entered a no-contest plea in the case, and was been sentenced by Clark County District Judge Valorie Vega to serve 24 to 60 months for one count of attempted murder and a consecutive term of 24 to 60 months for the use of a deadly weapon. Edwards could have faced as many as 186 years in prison if convicted of all seven felony charges initially filed against him after the shooting.

The charges included three counts of attempted murder, three counts of battery with a deadly weapon causing substantial bodily harm and one count of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm. According to police, Jones, then a cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals, instigated a melee that led to shootings Feb. 19, 2007, outside the Minxx Gentlemen’s Club and Lounge.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Jones was “making it rain,” or throwing wads of dollar bills from a large plastic trash bag onto a stage. He then became angry when the strippers picked up the money, and a brawl broke out, police said.

Pacers Stun Thunder in OKC

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton hit a 21-foot pull-up jumper in the final second on Thursday as the Indiana Pacers completed a stunning comeback for a 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

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The Pacers hadn’t led in the game until Halliburton drained the shot with 0.3 seconds remaining.

The best-of-seven series resumes with Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Indiana trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter before chipping away at the Thunder’s lead. Andrew Nembhard and Myles Turner each scored eight points in the period.

The Pacers cut the deficit to one with 48.6 seconds remaining on Pascal Siakam’s putback following a missed 3-point attempt by Nembhard.

After Haliburton’s shot, Oklahoma City tried to lob inside, but Siakam batted it away as time expired to end the game.

Indiana outscored the Thunder 35-25 in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City forced plenty of turnovers, especially early. However, the Thunder couldn’t take advantage often enough, scoring just 11 points on Indiana’s 25 giveaways. The Pacers turned the ball over 20 times in the first half alone.

Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and added 10 rebounds. Obi Toppin had 17 points off the bench, Turner scored 15 and Nembhard had 14. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 to lead the Thunder, shooting 14 of 30 from the field.

Jalen Williams contributed 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting while Chet Holmgren was just 2 of 9 for six points.

Indiana hit 47.6 percent from the floor to Oklahoma City’s 39.8 percent.

Early in the fourth quarter, Indiana was barely hanging on.

The Pacers, down by 13, missed three consecutive shots on one possession.

After the last of those, the Pacers’ T.J. McConnell was inbounding underneath Indiana’s basket and hurriedly heaved the ball to midcourt.

Instead of a teammate being there to receive the inbounds, Williams raced to the ball, catching it on the run and delivering a thunderous dunk to extend Oklahoma City’s lead to a game-high 15 points. The score was 94-79 with 9:42 remaining.

But Indiana wasn’t about to go away.

The Pacers ripped off a 15-4 run to stay within striking distance, and then they surged ahead late.

Oklahoma City hit just one field goal in the final four minutes, giving the Pacers the opening to come back.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 1

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – For the final leg of the great trifecta of Spring Thoroughbred Horse Racing (no Triple Crown hype this season), the horse trailers will detour at the George Washington Bridge and head north to the wonderful, picturesque town of Saratoga Springs.

Belmont Park is currently under a total re-construction – if it were Madison Square Garden, they’d call it a transformation. By all accounts, the work is on schedule and racing will return to Elmont in the Fall of 2026. Until then, the dingy Aqueduct Raceway in Queens will host racing in the city, while Saratoga Race Course will be the jewel of the 1+mile and 1⁄4 (10 furlongs), instead of the traditional mile and a half (12 furlongs).

The 157th running of the Belmont Stakes is this coming Saturday, June 7, 2025 at approximately 6:50pm EDT. Television coverage will be provided (in the USA) by Fox Sports.

Back in December, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $455 million renovation plan for Belmont Park and the ensuing move of the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs (UpState NY) for the interim, with construction expected to last into late 2025 or early 2026.

Renovations are well underway, and NY 12 television had an early look at the progress, along with some artists’ renditions of what the “new” Belmont will look like, come 2026.

As a bit of a tease, the sport of thoroughbred horse racing announced this week that new Belmont Park was selected to host the 2027 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, one of Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious international festivals.

The news was released as part of a multiyear announcement that named Keeneland Race Course in Lexington as the 2026 host site for the Breeders’ Cup, underscoring an ongoing commitment from Breeders’ Cup Limited to promote horse racing and invest in its future. Since its founding in 1984, the non-profit organization has given back more than $1 billion to the industry in purses, awards, and charitable donations while conducting the World Championships at 12 elite racetracks across North America.

“The Breeders’ Cup and New York Racing Association (NYRA) share a deep commitment to quality and distinction, making the new Belmont Park a prime venue to host the 2027 Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” said Drew Fleming, President & CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited. “The return of the Breeders’ Cup to New York has been years in the making, and we thank Governor Hochul for supporting a new Belmont Park and a New York Breeders’ Cup. The re-imagined Belmont Park will provide an exceptional stage for the world’s greatest racehorses and participants as we welcome contenders and fans from around the globe.”

Central to the Belmont Park redevelopment is a 300,000-square foot, five-story building featuring the modern amenities and hospitality offerings sports fans have come to expect, while the new facility will unlock the massive infield to provide fans and the community with more green space than ever before. In addition, NYRA is completely renovating the existing main dirt track and two turf courses while adding an all-weather synthetic surface.

“A new Belmont Park is taking shape on Long Island because of the leadership and vision of Gov. Hochul, whose support for horse racing and understanding of its positive economic impact have paved the way for the return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to New York in 2027,” said David O’Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “New York’s racing fans and participants have longed to host this event since it was last held at Belmont in 2005, and we thank the Breeders’ Cup for making that a reality.”

Travers Day (Saturday, August 23) is the centerpiece of the summer season at Saratoga with the $1,250,000 purse awaiting the winners. The Travers is Saratoga’s most famous race, and attracts many of the same elite horses that run in the three Triple Crown horse races.

Then it’s onward to the new Belmont.

In a return more than 20 years in the making, Belmont Park will welcome the Breeders’ Cup in 2027 for a fifth time after hosting in 1990, 1995, 2001, and 2005.

The Breeders’ Cup at Belmont Park will be held Oct. 29-30, 2027, but race dates are pending approval by the New York State Gaming Commission.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The sport of Volleyball has Beach Volleyball. The sport of Rugby (15 players) has Rugby Sevens (obviously, seven players). The sport of Basketball has 3×3. The Sport of American Football has Flag Football and now the sport of Baseball is investing heavily in softball. MLB reportedly purchased a stake in Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) as part of its efforts to grow the league ahead of its 2025 inaugural season, MLB said in a statement. The league will work to help raise the profile of the new softball league and its athletes through editorial, social media activities, marketing, events and game/highlights distribution, airing some AUSL games on MLB Network and streaming on MLB.com. Baseball purchased an equity stake worth more than 20% in the company.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Former Boston Bruins defenseman Zedeno Charawas selected for induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame. … The Boston Red Sox are currently in a stretch during which 18 of their 27 games from May 26-to-June 25 are on the road, including a season-long, nine-game road trip from June 16-25 to Seattle, San Francisco, and LA Angels (three games each series). … The LA Angels stop in to Fenway Park this week for a three game set of Boston’s three-game home stand. … At The Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, Scottie Scheffler birdied four of his last five holes, finishing with a birdie from just inside 15 feet. He took the third round lead when 18-h ole leader Ben Griffin missed a 3-foot par putt on the final hole. Scheffler opened the third round with 13 straight pars. Scheffler is the the reigning (2024) Memorial champion who last year became the fourth winner of the tournament to go on to win the FedEx Cup in the same season, There were three such winners in the last four years: (Viktor Hovland/2023, Patrick Cantlay/2021), and Tiger Woods did it in 2009. A playoff has decided the Memorial Tournament (presented by Workday) in six of the last 11 years, so tune into CBS Sports this afternoon. … Seattle’s Cal Raleigh is on pace for 57 home runs this season, which would be easily the most by a primary catcher in a single season. Kansas City’s Salvador Perez holds the record with 48 homers in 2021. Raleigh’s first dinger Friday night made him the first catcher to hit 20 home runs before the end of May.

JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Paige Bueckers of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings returned to Connecticut and scored a career high 21 points as Dallas won its first game of the season, beating the Sun 109-87 this week. Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, shot 8-for-10 from the field and added seven assists and five rebounds. Bueckers kept her perfect record at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena, where the Sun play their home games. The rookie went 15-0 at the Sun’s building in college while playing for UConn, including winning four Big East championships with the Huskies.

Bueckers was placed into concussion protocol after her club’s loss to the Chicago Sky (May 29th). Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft, will be reevaluated after this week’s game against the Seattle Storm. She’ll miss at least two games.
Zion Williamson was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 1 pick at the 2019 NBA Draft (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

The No. 1 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans has struggled through numerous injuries on the court b ut must now face serious charges in court. A woman has accused the Pelicans forward of alleged rape in addition to “sexual, physical, emotional and financial” abuse over the span of a multiyear relationship, according to a lawsuit submitted to Los Angeles Superior Court this week.

As of publication, neither reps of Williamson nor the team have commented on the charges.

Lower body injuries that have limited Williamson to 30 or fewer games in three of his five NBA seasons and he sat out the entire 2021-22 season due to injury.

Pacers Knock Out Knicks

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indiana’s Pascal Siakam recorded 31 points and three blocked shots and the Pacers are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 after notching a 125-108 victory over the visiting New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.

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Siakam was voted the Eastern Conference finals MVP. Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points, 13 assists and three steals for fourth-seeded Indiana. Obi Toppin added 18 points off the bench and Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and six steals for the Pacers.

Indiana will face the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is Thursday in Oklahoma City.

OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 14 rebounds for third-seeded New York. Jalen Brunson had 19 points and seven assists and Mikal Bridges had 15 points for the Knicks.

Indiana had a 25-10 edge on fastbreak points to finish the series with a dominating 106-48 advantage in that category.

The Pacers shot 54.1 percent from the field, including a solid 17 of 33 from 3-point range (51.5 percent). Myles Turner and reserve Thomas Bryant had 11 points apiece and Aaron Nesmith added 10 for the Pacers.

New York made 47.7 percent of its shots and was 9 of 32 (28.1 percent) from behind the arc. Landry Shamet had 12 points on four treys off the bench.

New York trailed by 15 entering the final quarter but a basket by Towns and two in a row by Anunoby pulled the Knicks within 92-83 with 10:15 remaining.

Haliburton then took over as he scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the final stanza.

The Pacers pushed the lead back to 14 on a basket by Nembhard with 8:26 left.

At the Brink-a-bockers

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INDIANAPOLIS – St. Elmo’s will not host the hottest thing in town tonight. The New York Knicks responded with their backs to the wall at Madison Square Garden in New York and now are focused on forcing a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

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Suddenly, the Indiana Pacers are the team facing more pressure entering the pivotal and what could be, the decisive Game 6 tonight.

Indiana holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. However, clinching a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 will be a much easier endeavor in front of the home fans. Game 7, if needed, would be in New York.

“We understand what the stakes are,” Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said. “We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything.”

The third-seeded Knicks were clearly the better team in Thursday’s 111-94 home victory. New York never trailed, shut down Haliburton, dominated the interior and forced 20 turnovers to deliver a convincing victory.

Jalen Brunson had 32 points, five rebounds and five assists and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds. Towns thrived while playing with an ailing left knee.

“This team is special,” Towns said. “In this series, we haven’t been able to close out games we wanted to. We’ve had moments of brilliance and (Thursday) we showed the world how special we are.”

New York’s task of evening the series will be much easier if it can once again slow Haliburton, the leader of the fourth-seeded Pacers.

Haliburton delivered a performance for the ages in Game 4 when he had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds without a turnover, the first time a player achieved a 30-15-10-0 stat line in NBA postseason history. He also made five 3-pointers and had four steals in the 130-121 home triumph.

But Game 5 was a totally different experience for Haliburton. New York hounded him from the outset and mixed its defenders to keep the Indiana star off-balance. Haliburton had just eight points, six assists and two rebounds. He took just seven shots, sinking two.

“As a team, we need to have a level of balance,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “I’ll look at it. There are more things I need to do to help him. I will take responsibility for that and we’ll see where we can improve.”

New York’s Mikal Bridges fueled the defensive charge but had plenty of help.

“Just starting with Mikal, wanting to pick up full court, make anything that (Haliburton) was doing hard,” Knicks backup guard Miles McBride said. “Whether it was denying him, trying to stay into his body or guys being up, just trying to make it hard.”

Meanwhile, the Knicks outscored Indiana 60-34 in the paint in Game 5 as Towns repeatedly drove for baskets. Perhaps more startling was that Indiana’s edge in fastbreak points was limited to 16-15; over the first four games, the Pacers held a whopping 65-23 advantage.

“I’m just happy with the way we responded, honestly,” Brunson said. “We came out and had some energy to the way we played. I’m very proud of what we did, and we have to try to replicate it.”

Brunson made 12 of 18 shots while notching his fourth 30-point outing of the series. He is averaging 33 points in the series. Towns averages 25.4 points and 11.8 rebounds.

For Indiana, Haliburton averages 21 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Pascal Siakam is also faring well with a 23.6-point average.

Siakam wants to see the Pacers raise their level of play tonight.

“They played harder than us,” Siakam said of Game 5. “It’s OK. We played hard, but they played harder.”

–Field Level Media

 

Lawsuit Filed vs Zion Williamson

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LOS ANGELES – (Wire Service Report) – New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was accused of rape in a lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles, the New York Post reported.

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In the suit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the woman — identified as Jane Doe — alleges Williamson sexually assaulted her twice in 2020.

The plaintiff, who claims to be the NBA forward’s ex-girlfriend, alleges there was a pattern of “abusive, controlling and threatening behavior” toward her that occurred in California, Louisiana and other states.

Williamson, 24, also is accused of threatening to have his security personnel shoot Doe in the head and have her parents killed, according to the report.

“Our client is very adamant about this — it’s not her desire or our desire to litigate this case in the press,” Doe’s attorney, Sam Taylor with the Lanier Law Firm, told the Post on Friday. “It’s a very serious case, as reflected in the allegations. Our client looks forward to her day in court where she can go and explain to a jury what happened to her, the things she endured for this defendant and getting justice.”

Williamson’s representatives did not immediately respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.

As of Friday afternoon, the Pelicans had not commented publicly on the allegations.

Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke, is a two-time All-Star with career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6rebounds and 4.3 assists in 214 games (all starts) with the Pelicans.

–Field Level Media

OKC on the Brink of NBA Finals

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished 10 assists as the OKC Thunder escaped with a 128-126 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night in Minneapolis.

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Jalen Williams added 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting for Oklahoma City, which seized a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Chet Holmgren finished with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander sank 5 of 6 free-throw attempts in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels contributed 22 points, and Donte DiVincenzo finished with 21 points off the bench.

The series will shift back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Both teams battled in the final minutes as the Thunder staved off the Timberwolves’ comeback attempt.

 

Pacers Need Two to Advance

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Indiana Pacers stand just two victories away from their first NBA Finals appearance since the Year 2000 behind a pick-your-hero approach. Meanwhile, the New York Knickerbockers stand stunned from two home losses at Madison Square Garden, once the Mecca of basketball.

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Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith were the stars of Game 1, and Pascal Siakam engineered an old-fashioned takeover in Game 2. Now, the Pacers look to put the New York Knicks on life support when the series resumes Sunday tonight in Indianapolis.

Indiana holds a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after notching two victories in New York. The Pacers recovered from a 14-point hole with under three minutes left in regulation in Game 1 before recording a 138-135 overtime win. Indiana followed up with a 114-109 victory in Game 2.

Jalen Brunson has been carrying the Knicks with outputs of 43 and 36 points. Conversely, the Pacers never know who might step up.

Haliburton had 31 points and 11 assists, and Nesmith had 30 points and hit 8-of-9 3-pointers in the series opener before Siakam carried the load in Game 2 with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting.

“I think what makes us special as a team is just that we have different weapons and we’re not consumed with who’s going to do what,” Siakam said after achieving his career-best playoff point total. “You just go into the game, and however the game presents itself, that’s how we go and take it and do it our way. And it doesn’t matter who scores.”

“Shout-out to my teammates for finding me and making sure that I stayed aggressive the whole game. It’s going to take all of us to get where we want to get to.”

If the Pacers win on Sunday, they will have the chance to finish the series at home with an unlikely sweep on Tuesday.