He’d just twisted it during a drive to the rim in the first quarter of Game 4 against Indiana on Friday. And as the pain began to pulsate, he closed his eyes in discomfort.

“You OK?” Gilgeous-Alexander asked.

Holmgren gave a not-so-convincing nod. It was all the bruised big man could muster, but it was good enough for Gilgeous-Alexander.

“C’mon man,” Gilgeous-Alexander then told Holmgren. “We need you. Get up.”

Holmgren rolled his ankle multiple times Friday. But he did get up every time, and OKC did need him.

The Thunder ultimately earned a 111-104 win, evening the NBA Finals at 2-2. And even though Holmgren dealt with a banged-up ankle, it didn’t prevent him from elevating his game on the biggest stage.

Holmgren finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds in 37 minutes. He played a key role down the stretch for OKC, which used a fourth-quarter flurry to steal the victory.

"I was just kind of thinking about how to make individual plays that could put us in a better situation," Holmgren said. "Not try to get a home run or make it all happen at once."

Where Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC saw cause for concern, Indiana saw an opportunity in Holmgren’s injury.

It was a possible weak link in the shackles of a defense that has handcuffed teams all season. A loose strap on a suffocating straight jacket.

In reality, that wasn’t the case. Indiana tested Holmgren down the stretch, but the 7-foot-1 forward never flinched.

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) on Friday, June 13, 2025, during Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The first example came at the 2:35 mark of the fourth quarter, as Indiana held onto a one-point lead. Andrew Nembhard managed to blow past Alex Caruso, marking a rare win against the elite defender.

His prize was a date at the rim with Holmgren, who used his broomstick of an arm to force a missed layup.

The next example came at the 1:45 mark when Myles Turner set a screen that forced Holmgren to switch onto Tyrese Haliburton. The superstar guard has showcased sorcery with the ball in clutch minutes this postseason.

But Haliburton couldn’t work his magic against Holmgren, who held his own on the perimeter and contested a step-back 3-pointer that didn’t drop.

Both Nembhard and Haliburton got another shot at Holmgren in isolation during the final minute, but the big man was bulletproof. Indiana went 0 for 4 from the field in the final three minutes when it targeted him.

"He held up great," head coach Mark Daigneault said of Holmgren. "We don't do that a ton with him because he's just so impactful at the rim, but he can really switch. It's funny, when he was coming out of the draft, that was one of the things that they really recognized with him, is that he's very switchable. He's got great feet.

"We just found ourselves behind the ball in a lot of plays tonight. The switching was able to get that under control late. We can't do that unless he can do that. He was outstanding tonight."

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) grabs his ankle in pain Friday, June 13, 2025, during Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Holmgren also chipped in on offense during the fourth quarter. He delivered two put-back buckets at the 9:29 and 8:37 mark.

But, after asking so much of Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander returned the favor by shouldering most of the offensive load. He scored 15 of OKC’s last 16 points to help secure the victory.

"We've seen it before from him," Holmgren said of Gilgeous-Alexander. "We know that that's the type of player he is, but it's still impressive. ... I'm sure that's going to be a very small category of players that he's going to put himself in or has put himself in with a finish to the game like that. As much as I am impressed, I'm not surprised."

Despite putting in work throughout the win, Holmgren didn’t show any signs of laboring during his postgame press conference.

There was no struggle in his sweeping stride when he walked to and from the podium, and there was no mention of his ankle.

Holmgren appears to be good to go for Game 5 at 7:30 CT Monday in Oklahoma City. And, just like Gilgeous-Alexander said, the Thunder will need him.

Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Chet Holmgren shook off injury scare to help Thunder tie up NBA Finals: 'We need you'

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