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Thunder’s Jalen Williams has blunt reaction to Tyrese Haliburton’s dagger
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- Thunder’s Jalen Williams has blunt reaction to Tyrese Haliburton’s dagger
The post Thunder's Jalen Williams has blunt reaction to Tyrese Haliburton's dagger appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers as 10.5-point favorites. For most of the game Thursday night, the basketball world likely understood why. But once again, the Pacers proved to be a 48-minute team.
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Indiana erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull within a single point in the closing seconds. Then, Pacers' star point guard Tyrese Haliburton struck again.
Haliburton pulled up for a mid-range jumper and sank it with 0.3 seconds remaining . His end-game antics have become a theme of the 2025 NBA Playoffs and the Thunder are his latest victim.
Following a 111-110 loss, Thunder forward Jalen Williams was asked how it felt to be on the wrong side of a Haliburton game-winner.
"I mean, it sucks," Williams said bluntly.
After collecting his thoughts, he provided a bit more context and understanding of what just happened.
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"Gotta tip your hat. They made some really big shots down the stretch."
Williams' analysis is pretty spot on. With just under three minutes left, the Thunder held a 108-99 lead. During the play-by-play era (starting in 1997), teams trailing by seven or more points with under three minutes left in an NBA Finals game were 0-121 . Well, now they are 1-121.
Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard drilled back-to-back triples that cut the deficit to three. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had an inefficient 38 points , hit a jumper to put the Thunder back up five. But this Pacers team did not blink.
Nembhard knocked down a couple of free throws and Pascal Siakam hit a putback that set the stage for Haliburton's heroics.
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Meanwhile, Williams did not have one of his stronger games of the postseason. He finished with 17 points on 6-for-19 from the floor, chipping in six assists and four rebounds.
The Thunder will look to rebound and even the series Sunday night in Oklahoma City .
Related: Caitlin Clark's Nike Kobe 5s spotted on Thunder's Alex Caruso during NBA Finals
Related: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts to Tyrese Haliburton's shot that broke OKC
