OKLAHOMA CITY -- There are nights during a long NBA season when Russell Westbrook can be unpredictable. Whether it is costly turnovers, too many shots or erratic play, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard at times confounds his fans.

Then there are the nights like one he had on Tuesday when Westbrook can overwhelm an opponent with his talent and ferocious attitude. Even when going head to head with a two-time MVP, that combination can be too much to keep in check.

Westbrook collected 36 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, leading the Oklahoma City to an 118-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors and moving the Thunder within one victory of the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City grabbed a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals thanks in large part to Westbrook's first triple-double of the postseason. The defending champion Warriors will attempt to stay alive Thursday at home in Game 5.

"Russell just plays with incredible passion," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "He's just got such great force and great will. And he is also a really, really high basketball IQ player.

"Just his effort and his energy over the entire course of the game was terrific. As a coach, you sit there and have great respect and admiration for someone who plays that hard and gives to the game and to his teammates what he gives."

Westbrook said, "I just try and read the game. I try to let my energy and my aggression impact the game."

Thunder forward Kevin Durant scored 26 points on 8-of-24 shooting to go with 11 rebounds. Serge Ibaka and Andre Roberson each scored 17 points, while Steven Adams posted 11 points and seven boards.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 26 points. League MVP Stephen Curry was held to 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting, and he and Thompson combined to make just six of 21 3-point attempts. Harrison Barnes posted 11 points in the loss.

The Warriors lost back-to-back games for the first time in the postseason after never losing consecutive games in the regular season during their record-setting, 73-win campaign. They fell by a combined 52 points over the two games in Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"I thought our energy was better than last game, but obviously not enough," Curry said. "It's a tough situation to be in, but the series isn't over. In our locker room, there is obviously frustration trying to figure out how we can get back to being ourselves. We have an opportunity to do that on Thursday, so we're excited about that."

Durant came out of the blocks on the attack. Instead of settling for jump shots and 3-pointers, he started the night driving the ball to the rim and forcing the Warriors to foul him.

Durant and Westbrook were a combined 12-for-12 from the line in the first half. As a team, the Warriors only attempted 17 free throws in the opening two quarters.

"Our game is to try and get into the paint," Durant said. "Just try and be aggressive. They use their hands really well, so we try to use that against them."

The Warriors, who fell behind by 14, got back into the game without their superstars leading the way. It was the play of Barnes and Festus Ezeli that helped Golden State close the gap to two midway through the second quarter.

However, the Thunder kept pounding the boards and winning the hustle points. That included Adams getting to a loose ball outside the 3-point arc and firing a fastball pass to Roberson under the goal for a layup.

The play was indicative of the type of night Oklahoma City was having as the Thunder raced out to a 72-53 halftime advantage.

The 19-point lead didn't last long as Thompson began to tear apart the Thunder defense. After scoring just four points in the first half, he broke loose for 19 points in the third quarter and helped slice the lead down to seven.

Once again, though, Oklahoma City ended the quarter strong to take 12-point advantage. That would be as close as Golden State would get.

For the second game in a row, the Thunder didn't let up and went for the kill in the fourth. The Warriors had no answer and pulled their starters with 3:15 left.

Oklahoma City had three players with at least 11 rebounds. As a team, they outrebounded the Warriors 56-40.

Golden State now faces elimination for the first time in two seasons. Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes his players will put forth a much better effort with everything on the line.

"I think we will respond well," Kerr said. "Like I said, we go home, lick our wounds a little bit. We play very well at home, and the idea is to take it one step at a time. We will bounce back, we'll play much better in Game 5, and we'll see where it all goes."

NOTES: Before Game 4 tipped off, Golden State G Steph Curry quoted "Rocky III" when talking about the importance of the contest. "Can't really focus on what's going to happen tomorrow," Curry said. "Like Apollo Creed said, 'There is no tomorrow.'" ... Members of the TNT crew wore #SagerStrong socks that had an image of Craig Sager on the front in honor of his battle with cancer. ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked what makes Oklahoma City's home-court advantage so strong. "Westbrook and Durant," Kerr responded. "Same thing that makes our crowd great. When you're on a great team and you have a great crowd, they often feed on each other. So when Steph gets going at Oracle, the place gets really loud. When Russell, K.D. get going here, it's really loud. And there is a carry-over effect, and I think it's always been that way if you look at NBA history. But it is loud here."