Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 35 points, including 15 in the decisive fourth quarter, to help the Oklahoma City Thunder claw back for a hard-fought 111-104 win over the Indiana Pacers, evening the NBA Finals series at 2-2.

Despite being stifled for much of the night by Indiana's suffocating defense, the reigning NBA MVP Gilgeous-Alexander pushed through when his team needed him most on Friday night.

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With 2:23 left on the clock, Gilgeous-Alexander buried a three followed by a smooth pull-up jumper to give the Thunder their first lead since halftime.

Oklahoma City never looked back. After being held off the charity stripe for the entire first half, Gilgeous-Alexander closed with six clutch free throws in the final 44 seconds.

“It’s always a grind,” the Thunder star noted following another physically demanding showdown. “You have to fight for every inch on both ends every time you’re out there.”

Jalen Williams added 27 points to the Thunder’s tally, Chet Holmgren notched a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Alex Caruso brought energy off the bench with 20 points.

Pascal Siakam paced the Pacers with 20 points, gathering eight rebounds, along with five assists and five steals.

Tyrese Haliburton contributed 18, while Obi Toppin provided 17 key points off the bench as Indiana extended its cushion to double digits late in the third quarter.

But Oklahoma City – who dropped consecutive games only twice during the regular season and have yet to do so in the playoffs – turned up the defensive intensity in the final period, refusing to go down 3-1 in the series.

“We knew the stakes — being down 3-1 is completely different than being tied 2-2 going home,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We kept that urgency up all the way through, and it paid off.”

Looking ahead, Gilgeous-Alexander stressed the importance of bringing the same edge to Game 5 back in Oklahoma City on Monday night.

The Thunder are chasing their first championship since moving to OKC in 2008. Their sole NBA title came in 1979 while still based in Seattle as the SuperSonics.

Tightly contested first half

Indiana, still searching for their first-ever NBA crown, started fast in front of their lively home crowd, hitting four of their first five shots to build a nine-point advantage midway through the opening quarter.

The Thunder quickly responded with a 9-0 surge to level the score, though the Pacers remained aggressive, particularly pressuring Gilgeous-Alexander and capitalizing on four first-quarter steals from Siakam to enter the second up 35-34.

The back-and-forth continued in the second period. Oklahoma City briefly pulled ahead by six, but never fully separated as Haliburton drove through traffic and completed a three-point play—his first free throw of the series—to send Indiana into halftimes with a 60-57 lead.

Emotions escalated by then. Toppin was called for a flagrant foul sending Caruso tumbling beneath the rim. Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein confronted him, resulting in technicals for both players.

Later, Luguentz Dort was assessed a flagrant foul himself after making contact with Toppin’s head on a contested play.

Thunder surge in the fourth

Toppin's dunk gave Indiana a 10-point lead at 86-76 late in the third, the game’s first double-digit margin.

But Oklahoma City stayed composed, erasing the lead and tying the score four times in the final frame before Gilgeous-Alexander surged ahead.

“When you’re up seven at home, you’ve got to hold your ground, and we didn’t get that done tonight,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reflected. “Credit to them — they didn’t stop attacking, and they played standout defense in the clutch.”

The Thunder ended the contest on a 12-1 scoring run, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge.

“He was incredible,” said head coach Mark Daigneault. Caruso echoed that sentiment, adding that it’s almost expected from Gilgeous-Alexander at this point.

“I’ve watched him carry us over and over again,” Caruso said. “He might not wear his emotions on his face, but he’s one of the fiercest competitors in the league.”