Wounded warrior Serge Ibaka provided the inspiration and Kiwi centre Steven Adams sealed the win as the Oklahoma Thunder tossed a roadblock in front of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder beat the Spurs 106-97 on Sunday in Oklahoma City to claw back to 1-2 down in the best-of-seven series.
The Spurs manhandled the Thunder in the first two games with Ibaka on the bench with what was thought to be a season-ending calf injury, but the 208cm, 116kg forward from the Republic of Congo made a miraculous recovery.
Just days ago he struggled to walk.
Ibaka started for the Thunder, hit his first four jump shots, was a menace to Spurs' big men Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter and ended the game with 15 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in just under 30 minutes on the court.
When Ibaka limped off the court the Thunder fans gave him a standing ovation.
"Serge came in and gave us a big lift not only on the defensive end, but on the offensive end," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said.
"He kept them from scoring easy baskets."
After Ibaka laid the foundation, Brooks looked for his 20-year-old New Zealand rookie centre Adams to battle with Duncan in the final quarter.
With 8:30 left in the game Adams flew over the top of Duncan, drew a foul, sunk the basket and free throw to extend what was a game-winning 14-2 run for the Thunder.
Adams had nine rebounds, four blocks and seven points from 27 minutes on the court.
Spurs' duo Duncan and Tony Parker were kept to just 16 and nine points respectively.
It was also a quiet night for the Spurs' Australians, with Patty Mills scoring just three points and Aron Baynes five points.
The Thunder have a chance to even the series 2-2 when the teams meet on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
The winner of the series will play the victor of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.
The Heat lead 2-1.
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