Jalen Williams Made Wrong Kind of NBA Finals History One Game After 40-Point Night

It was the worst of times after the best of times for the All-Star.

Jalen Williams (right) defends Pascal Siakam in the NBA Finals. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

After Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams was on top of the world—having scored 40 points to move the Thunder to the brink of their first title in the Sooner State.

How quickly things change this time of year. The Indiana Pacers dominated Oklahoma City 108–91 Thursday to force Game 7, and Williams was one of a bevy of Thunder contributors thrown into neutral. He finished with 16 points, three rebounds and one assist in a game where he made unwanted NBA history.

According to Basketball Reference's database, Williams's -40 plus-minus is the worst plus-minus on record in a Finals game. The previous record-holder was Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, who put up a -38 in the Celtics' 122–84 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the 2024 Finals.

For comparison's sake, Williams was a game-high +14 in his much-discussed Game 5 masterpiece.

Oklahoma City and the Pacers are scheduled to play the 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

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