The Thunder are one win away from an NBA championship after notching a 120-109 win over the Pacers last Monday night at Paycom Center. With a 3-2 series lead, Oklahoma City can close out Indiana in Game 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this Thursday evening.
Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up big numbers in Game 5, and they also received some timely contributions from the Thunder’s role players. On the other hand, the Pacers didn’t get enough from their stars, though they almost made it a close game in the end.
Elsewhere, the Magic and Grizzlies recently completed a blockbuster trade, with the former increasing their NBA 2025 odds of becoming a legitimate playoff contender and the latter likely headed towards a rebuild. Speaking of a rebuild, the Suns may undergo one soon, with Kevin Durant likely as the first domino to fall.
Here are some of the latest NBA 2025 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander shine for the Thunder
Jalen Williams scored a career-high 40 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points to lead Oklahoma City past Indiana last Monday. Williams also had six rebounds and four assists and went 14-for-25 shooting from the field and 9-for-12 from the free throw line. Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 assists, two steals, and four blocks on 9-for-21 shooting from the field and 13-for-14 from the free throw line. According to ESPN Research, the pair combined to generate 103 points, the most by a duo in an NBA Finals match in the past five decades.
Chet Holmgren also had an impactful performance, recording nine points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Luguentz Dort had nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace combined for 25 points off the bench.
Game 5 was starting to look like Game 1 all over again, as the Thunder built a double-digit lead and the Pacers roared back in the final quarter. Haliburton hit the game-winning shot to win Game 1 for Indiana, but that wasn’t the case this time.
Oklahoma City did a superb job shutting down Haliburton, as the Indiana point guard only had four points, seven rebounds, and six assists on 0-for-6 shooting from the field. After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed that Haliburton was dealing with a leg injury.
Pascal Siakam had a well-rounded stat line for the Pacers with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. However, he also had six of the team’s 22 turnovers. TJ McConnell, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, and Obi Toppin added 18, 14, 13, and 12 points in the losing effort.
Magic and Grizzlies complete blockbuster trade
The Celtics exposed the Magic’s lack of outside shooting in the first round this postseason, prompting the Magic to trade for Desmond Bane last Sunday in exchange for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four first-round picks, and a 2029 first-round pick swap.
The Magic were last in the NBA in three-pointers per game (11.2) and three-point percentage (31.8) and were 28th in scoring (105.4), barely ahead of the Nets and Hornets (both 105.1).
Bane averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals on 48/39/89 shooting clips across 69 regular season appearances. He has scored 30 points in 29 regular season games, including two 40-point games.
As for the Grizzlies, they’ve acquired a viable backup point guard for Ja Morant (Cole Anthony) and a veteran with championship experience (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) while stacking their draft capital. They can use the additional draft picks to make a huge swing or kickstart their rebuild if they feel that Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. cannot lead them to where they want to be.
Timberwolves, Spurs, and Rockets enter Durant sweepstakes
The Suns are revisiting the idea of shopping Kevin Durant to kickstart their rebuild after they nearly traded him during the trade deadline. According to reports, the 15-time NBA All-Star has been linked to the Timberwolves, Spurs, and Rockets.
The Timberwolves expressed their interest in Durant during the trade deadline, but they were unwilling to send Jaden McDaniels the other way last February, and that remains the case. Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle would likely be part of the package in a potential deal.
The Spurs are also reportedly keen on Durant, which could see Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, or even Devin Vassell transferring to the Suns. Meanwhile, the Rockets could send the 10th overall pick in this summer’s draft and return the Suns’ top selections in 2027 and 2029 while adding Jalen Green to the package for Durant.
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