Adams cops elbow as OKC face elimination
Steven Adams hardly flinched as he copped an elbow to his face in an ugly melee during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 113-96 loss to Utah Jazz in the NBA playoffs.
Adams rushed in to restrain the Jazz’s Jae Crowder, who had taken an arm across the chest from Russell Westbrook. Carmelo Anthony tried to separate Crowther and Anthony, when Crowder flung his elbow, collecting Adams in the nose.
The Kiwi superstar stood his ground, but didn’t react, before tweaking his nose a few moments later.
Crowder was ejected from the game with a technical foul with 5:30 remaining. There were seven technical fouls in all during the testy game, with one against Adams.
The win gives Utah a 3-1 series lead and they will eliminate the Thunder from the playoff if they win Game 5 in Oklahoma City tomorrow.
Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Jazz with 33 points, while Joe Ingles scored 20 points with Rudy Gobert adding 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ricky Rubio chipped in 13 points, eight assists and six boards.
Paul George scored 32 points and Westbrook added 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder, finishing with his fourth consecutive double double in the series
But Oklahoma City lost its third straight in the series after shooting just 39 percent from the field.
In the other playoffs match, the Houston Rockets took a 3-1 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves with their 119-100 win in Minneapolis.