Thunder edge closer to title with Game 5 victory over injury-plagued Pacers

In the long arc of championship pursuits, Monday night in Oklahoma City offered a familiar and sobering truth: momentum, health, and singular brilliance rarely wait for the unprepared. The Thunder defeated the Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, moving to a 3-2 series lead on the strength of Jalen Williams' 40-point performance and a defense that refused to yield when Indiana mounted a desperate late charge. History itself seemed to lean toward Oklahoma City — teams winning Game 5 of a tied Finals claim the title nearly three-quarters of the time — and the night unfolded as though both