Monday Headlines: NBA Finals Game 5 Edition

NBA: Finals-Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers — Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Critical game tonight to take the series lead.

Game 5 of the NBA Finals will be played tonight as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers battle it out for the right to be one win away from their first NBA championship.

Former Kentucky Wildcat and recently recognized NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on an absolute tear this season, leading the league in scoring at 32.7 points per game while also averaging 32.7 in these Finals.

SGA had 35 points on 50% shooting last Friday night in the Thunder’s impressive comeback win at Indiana to tie the series and avoid falling into a critical 3-1 hole.

Thunder teammate and also former Wildcat Cason Wallace has seen both his minutes and scoring take a dip as the Finals have unfolded, but role players usually shine their brightest when playing at home like the Thunder are tonight.

Despite the Pacers and Thunder splitting the first two games in Oklahoma City, OKC is a sizable favorite in Game 5 with the point spread set at 9.5.

According to the NBA, in a best-of-seven series, the team that wins Game 5 after being tied 2-2 goes on to win the series 82.8% of the time.

Tip-off for tonight’s action is scheduled for 8:30 PM ET with television coverage on ABC.