NBA Finals: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helps Thunder past Pacers to level series

OKLAHOMA CITY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a stellar performance to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 123-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals here at Paycom Center on Sunday to even the best-of-seven series 1-1.

Gilgeous-Alexander top-scored for Oklahoma City with 34 including eight assists, five rebounds and four steals and went 11 of 12 on free throws.

"You can't just throw the first punch. You've got to throw all the punches all night," Gilgeous-Alexander said. 

Thunder dominated from the beginning of the game scoring 26-20 and 33-21 in the first two quarters, heading to the second half with an 18 points lead.

The most dominant period of the game came in the second quarter, when the Thunder owned the Pacers with a 19-2 run that was led by both their defence and Gilgeous-Alexander's finishes on the other end.

Indiana quickly answered with a 10-0 run to make it 52-39, but never got closer than that 13-point deficit.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle praised the opposing team, calling them the best at keeping the ball out of the paint.

"They're the best team in the league at keeping the ball out of there. It's a tough task," Carlisle said. 

For the Pacers Tyrese Haliburton, the star of Game 1 after hitting the game-winning shot in the final second, added 17 points, though 12 of those came in the final quarter with the game fairly well in hand for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder will take on Pacers in the Game 3 on Wednesday in Indianapolis.