Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26) scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied for a gritty 111-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers that leveled the NBA Finals at two games apiece on Friday.
Frustrated for much of the game by Indiana’s relentless defense, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in Gilgeous-Alexander found a way to fight through.
He followed a three-pointer with a pull-up jumper to give the Thunder their first lead since the first half with 2:23 remaining.
They wouldn’t trail again, Gilgeous-Alexander adding six free throws in the final 44 seconds.
“It’s a dog fight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after another intense, physical battle between the two teams. “Every time you step on the floor, on both ends of the floor they make you work.”
Jalen Williams added 27 points, Chet Holmgren added 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Alex Caruso chipped in 20 points off the bench for the Thunder.
Pascal Siakam scored 20 points to lead Indiana, adding eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 18 points and Obi Toppin added 17 off the bench as the Pacers led by 10 late in the third quarter.
But Oklahoma City, who have yet to drop back-to-back games in the playoffs, clamped down defensively in the fourth, determined not to fall in a 3-1 hole.
“We knew it when we woke up this morning – 3-1 is a lot different than 2-2 going back home,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We played with desperation to the end of the game and that’s why we won.”
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder must“maintain the same desperation” when they host game five on Monday.
Indiana struck first in another fast-paced first quarter in front of their energized fans, making four of their first five shots and building a nine-point lead midway through the opening period.
Oklahoma hit back, putting together a 9-0 run to tie it, but the Pacers – with a strong defensive effort on Gilgeous-Alexander and four steals from Pascal Siakam – emerged from the first period with a 35-34 lead.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the second, when Oklahoma City led by as many as six but could never pull away. Haliburton converted a three-point play – driving through traffic for a layup and making the free throw, his first of the series – to put Indiana up 60-57 at halftime.
By then, tensions had already ratcheted up. Toppin was assessed a flagrant foul for a check that sent Alex Caruso sprawling under the basket.
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein confronted Toppin, which ended with both receiving technical fouls.
Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort was later assessed a flagrant foul for swiping an arm over Toppin’s head.
Toppin gave Indiana the first double-digit lead of the game with a dunk that put them up 86-76 late in the third quarter.
But the Thunder dug deep, tying it up three times in the fourth quarter before Gilgeous-Alexander came through.
