Adams hits 16 in big OT Thunder win
Paul George floated in a basket with less than a second remaining in double-overtime, capping a 45-point night with the winning shot in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 148-147 victory over the Utah Jazz yesterday in the NBA’s Western Conference.
George dribbled out the final seconds before driving between two defenders and floating in a shot with 0.8 seconds left. Kyle Korver got off a desperate three for Utah, but it went long as the buzzer sounded.
Russell Westbrook added 43 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, helping Oklahoma City overcome 38 points from Donovan Mitchell. Westbrook fouled out with 1:09 left in the first overtime, ending his NBA streak of 11 consecutive games with a triple-double.
Kiwi centre Steven Adams played a game-high 47 minutes, returning from an ankle injury, and had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.
The game went to overtime after the Thunder’s Jerami Grant completed a tying three-point play, then blocked Mitchell’s shot at the other end. Grant had 18 points.
In the first overtime, Abdel Nader hit a 3-pointer to give the Thunder a 139-137 lead in the final minute, after Westbrook and Terrance Ferguson had fouled out. Utah’s Rudy Gobert tipped in the tying basket with 33.7sec left, and George and Mitchell each missed jumpers in the closing seconds.
Gobert hit two free throws with 1:10 left in the second overtime for a 147-146 lead, but Utah went cold from there. Mitchell’s driving shot off the glass missed the rim, and Joe Ingles missed on a long 3-point try as the shot clock expired with 13.2 seconds left.
Derek Favors hit his first 10 shots, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds for Utah. Gobert had 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz.
The teams were physical throughout. Westbrook got a flagrant foul for crashing into Gobert while defending a layup, and there was a fracas late in the first half after Jae Crowder fouled the Thunder’s Dennis Schroder.
The Thunder have now won seven straight at home.
❚ Danilo Gallinari went on a scoring spree midway through the fourth quarter to make sure the Los Angeles Clippers maintained their hold on the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Gallinari scored 23 points, including 10 straight in the fourth quarter, Montrezl Harrell matched his career high with 30 points, and the Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 112-106.
‘‘I was just reading the defence, and my team needed me to be aggressive,’’ Gallinari said of the scoring outburst. ‘‘I was just trying to control the game as much as possible on the offensive and defensive end.’’
Lou Williams was 6 for 15 from the field and finished with 18 points, while Harrell was 11-for-14 shooting. The two reserves have become a dynamic pair for the Clippers running the pick-androll. Harrell said the Grizzlies’ defence hedged toward Williams, taking his shot away and opening opportunities for Harrell.
‘‘That’s definitely what [the Grizzlies defence] did,’’ Harrell said of Memphis concentrating on Williams. ‘‘Every pick-and-roll we were in, whether it was the four or the five, they jumped down and showed as hard as they can. Now, you’ve got me rolling down the middle of the floor and low guys trying to roll over and replace and step up for that spot.’’
The victory left the Clippers in eighth place in the west, two games up on Sacramento.
Mike Conley scored 25 points and Joakim Noah had 22 as the Grizzlies lost their third straight. AP