Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, center, passes under the basket between Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill, left, and forward Isaac Okoro in the second half of Game 4 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series in Indianapolis on Sunday. (AP photo)

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seeds in the playoffs and owners of the best regular-season records in the NBA, find themselves in dire need of wins as they host Game 5s in the conference semifinals tonight.

Oklahoma City might have saved its season with a 92-87 win at Denver on Sunday that tied the Western Conference series at two wins apiece. The Thunder finally won a close game in the series on Sunday after losing Game 1 on a last-second shot and Game 3 in overtime.

“I think we fought, stayed the course, played the game,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Especially in this series, it’s been so random almost. It’s throwing different things at us. I think we’ve been able to stay the course and it gave us a chance late. We closed it out.”

The Thunder regained the homecourt advantage they worked so hard to get in a franchise-best 68-14 regular season. But lose today, and they head to Denver down 3-2 and facing elimination.

Cleveland, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 regular-season record, is on the brink of elimination after being blown out 129-109 at Indiana to fall behind 3-1.

The Pacers, who reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, know there’s work ahead to return.

“You’ve got to be able to go into hostile territory and be able to stay focused,” Pacers center Myles Turner said.

Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Pacers lead, 3-1

BetMGM Sportsbook: Cavaliers by 7.5.

What to Know: Cleveland All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell’s status is unclear for today’s game after he injured his left ankle during Game 4. He was limited to 12 points in 20 minutes and sat out the second half after the Cavaliers fell behind 80-39. He had an MRI on Monday. Mitchell scored 48 points in Game 2 and 43 points in Game 3 before being limited in Game 4. Cleveland’s Darius Garland scored 21 points in Game 4, but he’s still recovering from a toe injury.

Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Tied, 2-2

BetMGM Sportsbook: Thunder by 9.5.

What to Know: Oklahoma City has bothered Denver’s Nikola Jokic more than most. In his past three games, the three-time league MVP has been limited to 21.3 points per game on 33.3% shooting from the field and 18.2% shooting from 3-point range. He exploded for 42 points and 22 rebounds in Game 1. He also has had some foul issues, with five in Game 1, fouling out of Game 2 and committing four in Game 4. Jaylin Williams, a backup center, appears to have done the best job of pestering him.

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