Adams, Thunder sing the blues against Jazz
Kiwi centre Steven Adams and his Oklahoma City Thunder team-mates are in a hole.
Adams was again in foul trouble and had his action limited as the Thunder lost 115-102 on the road to the Utah Jazz to fall behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven first round Western Conference NBA playoff match yesterday.
The New Zealander played 26 minutes and had only eight points and two rebounds while opposing centre Rudy Gobert contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds for the victors.
The Thunder’s big three of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George wilted in the face of the Jazz’s onslaught and the constant roar of the Utah home crowd. Westbrook and Anthony, both with 14 points for the game, went scoreless in the final quarter, while George had seven of his 23 points.
Game four is in Salt Lake City tomorrow.
Meanwhile in Miami, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Australian rookie Ben Simmons continued to etch his name into the NBA history books.
The 21-year-old had the first playoff triple-double by a rookie in nearly 40 years as the 76ers outlasted the Miami Heat 106-102 to move within one victory of the second round.
The 76ers lead their Eastern Conference series 3-1 and can eliminate the Heat in game five in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Simmons scored 17 points to go with 13 rebounds and 10 assists to become the first rookie since Magic Johnson in 1980 to post a playoff triple-double.
Simmons is averaging a tripledouble in his first playoff series with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists a game. ‘‘I think it just means I’m doing my job,’’ Simmons, not getting carried away with a rookie year that places him alongside Johnson and another great, Oscar Robertson, said.
‘‘Stats that I’ve averaged all season have been up there so it’s not really anything new for the team or myself.’’
The 76ers’ JJ Redick scored 24 points and Joel Embiid finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 25 points off the bench for the Heat, who led by 12 points in the second half before letting a game they almost certainly had to have slip away.
Also yesterday, the New Orleans Pelicans, led by Anthony Davis’ franchise playoff-record 47 points completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers with a 131-123 victory.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jimmy Butler hit four three-pointers among his 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 16 rebounds in their 121-105 defeat of the top-ranked Houston Rockets.
It was the usually under-achieving Timberwolves’ first post-season victory in 14 years, although the Rockets still hold a 2-1 series lead.