Adams master class destroys Breakers
A FIRSTHALF master class from Steven Adams quickly put to bed any hopes the New Zealand Breakers had of becoming the first ANBL side to beat one of their NBA counterparts.
The Breakers were thumped by the Oklahoma City Thunder 11084 in Oklahoma City yesterday, Adams putting on a dominant performance in his 21 minutes of work.
The big Kiwi immediately put his stamp on the first quarter, scoring the Thunder’s first two buckets and bringing down two offensive rebounds in the opening three minutes.
The Breakers appeared to have learned from their slow start against the
Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the week and their intensity was initially much higher.
Centre Rob Loe scored the opening three buckets for the Breakers, including a threepoint shot, as they hung tough with the Thunder in the early exchanges.
But several turnovers and poor shooting late in the quarter from the visiting side enabled the Thunder to go on a 130 run to hold a 2915 lead at the end of the first 12 minuets.
The Thunder kept pushing early in the second, an 80 run to start the quarter extending its lead to more than 20 points and forcing Breakers coach Dan Shamir to call an early time out.
Adams then went on to post a doubledouble (15 points, 10 rebounds) by the half and the damage was done.
The firstquarter intensity in the arena had dissipated by halftime, the home side leading 6235.
The New Zealand side watched as the lead crept above 30, as the second half became more of formality than a contest.
Some bright moments from Loe and Scotty Hopson, and a much improved performance from RJ Hampton will give the Breakers a bit to smile about, but the match was all about the first half from Adams.
He finished the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds in limited minutes. — The New Zealand Herald