Steven Adams’ status unclear headed into clash with Jazz

Thunder center

went through noncontact drills on Sunday in Oklahoma City, but a return against Utah on Monday is still uncertain.

Coach said Adams, who is in the NBA’s concussion protocol, will make the trip to Salt Lake City, and will be monitored the rest of the day. Adams has missed the Thunder’s last two games, both losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State, after suffering a concussion against Sacramento on Jan. 15.

“We’ll probably have him go through some of shootaround (Monday) and see where he’s at at game time,” Donovan said.

During post-practice media availability on Sunday, Adams went through a series of conditioning exercises with the Thunder staff, including full-court sprints and sideline-to-sideline shooting.

Thunder takes positives from loss to Warriors

NBA players aren’t for moral victories, but the Thunder’s 121-100 loss to Golden State had positives.

The first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 3 saw the Thunder out of the game by the second quarter.

In Round 2, it was a 56-56 tie at halftime and 63-63 midway through the third quarter before the avalanche came. Four days later,

said the Thunder has to play the way it did in its best stretches against the Warriors for “48 minutes every night.”

“It’s not easy, but if it was easy, everybody would be doing it,” said Oladipo who’s shot 8-of-14 from 3-point range against the Warriors this season. “We just gotta continue to get better, stay together, realize when we defend at a high level, the ball is moving and we get out in transition, we’re gonna be a good team.” It was

first time playing the Warriors since Game 4 of the Western Conference finals in May, and only his seventh game of the season.

“I felt like we defended for three quarters,” said Payne, who said his onball defense is what he’s worked on the most in the last four days of practice. “We slipped one quarter. We just got to stay consistent all throughout the game. I feel like our scheme was good. We just got to (get) better at doing it.”

Tip-ins

Oladipo is still icing his right wrist, which he sprained in December and forced him to miss nine games.

“Lingering pain and I’ve fallen on it a few times unluckily,” Oladipo said. “At 7 o’clock, 6 o’clock, whatever time the game is, I’m not worried about it.” ... has missed the last three games for Utah with a bone bruise and hyperextended right knee.

He led the Jazz with 25 points and five 3-pointers in a 109-89 win Dec. 14 in Salt Lake City.

Stat of the day

If gets a triple-double Monday night, he’ll have 59 for his career, tying

for the fifth-most in NBA history.