Kiwi Steve in the NBA #9: Processes and Protocols
BOX SCORES
at PHILADELPHIA 76ers (W 119-117, 3OT):
51 MINS | 5 PTS (2/8 FG, 1/1 FT) | 11 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 1 TO | 6 PF
at NEW YORK KNICKS (L 111-96):
DNP – Concussion Protocol
vs DENVER NUGGETS (W 95-94):
DNP – Concussion Protocol
vs UTAH JAZZ (W 107-79):
26 MIN | 11 PTS (4/7 FG, 3/3 FT) | 9 REB | 3 AST | 1 TO | 2 PF
NEXT WEEK
vs ATLANTA HAWKS, Saturday at 2.00pm (NZT)
at UTAH JAZZ, Sunday at 2.00pm (NZT)
vs HOUSTON ROCKETS, Tuesday at 2.00pm (NZT)
vs TORONTO RAPTORS, Thursday at 2.00pm (NZT)
at PHILADELPHIA 76ers (W 119-117, 3OT)
This game, woah buddy. Brings new definition to the word ‘exhausting’, just check out all those minutes that Steven Adams played. No shocker at all to hear that’s a career high for him, annihilating the 44 mins he played against Memphis last season. A triple overtime contest will do that for ya.
Mate and what a contest! One of the most entertaining games of the season, highlighted by Steven Adams guarding up against larger than life Joel Embiid, aka The Process. The 76ers are a long way from the cellar-dwellers of past seasons, they’re good to go now with Embiid fit and Aussie Ben Simmons in tow as well. Simmons had a relatively quiet one, aside from some clutch hoops later on, but Embiid was massive in every sense. Seeing him work in the post against Adams… those are two giants crashing and smashing. Mere mortals would be crushed.
Adams missed a couple shots as each side traded buckets early on, JJ Redick hitting some deepies while Carmelo Anthony had his fun. But after Embiid hit from 12 feet to make it 12-all the 76ers then went close to four minutes without scoring and OKC led 28-21 after one.
Billy Donovan was mimicking Adams’ minutes to Embiid’s, each checking in simultaneously a couple times in that first half. While they sat it became a game for the shooters… which didn’t go so well for Philly. Robert Covington in particular who was having a shocker. A Josh Heustis dunk made it 50-33 midway through the second, although that 17-2 run (largely with Adams off the floor) was countered by three triples in an 11-0 run for the Sixers. Told you this one was fun and we were only beginning. Thunder led 55-47 at the break.
A couple missed putbacks and those early clangers meant that Adams, despite his hot recent scoring, went without a point in the first half. His rebounds were still up there but it took until a dunk (and then that alley-oop) early in the third to get anything in that column. Made the free throw for the oop as well, if you were wondering.
The Sixers had this knack for little scoring runs that kept them in contention and once you’re in the game late on against the Thunder then you’ve got a chance. OKC have started winning all these close ones recently but they make it tough on themselves and only scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter here should have cost them the win. That it didn’t was all down to some magnificent defence, starting with Adams limiting a fired up Joel Embiid in as much as it’s possible to do that at all, but Paul George and Andre Roberson too, of course.
With less than 5:35 left they were up 94-83, Ray Felton with the bucket. They didn’t score another point in regulation time. You can guess how that happened, the same bad habits creeping in. 0/10 shooting to close things, largely down to that Westbrook fella. He missed a layup that might’ve won it right near the end while Embiid converted an and-one after working a switch on Melo, Dario Saric hit a three and then Embiid fed Simmons for the tie. George missed short as time expired and off to OT we went.
While this was all going on, Adams was accumulating fouls. A couple rough ones, like there was a challenge on Embiid which looked like he’d gone straight up and another where Westbrook actually pushed him into the defender. Also, one overtime was not enough to split them. Russ missed a shot on the drive which was then ruled out off Adams’ fingertips (dunno about that call, tbh) and we had our first double overtime of the NBA season… which still wasn’t enough to split them. Again Oklahoma City had the chance to win but Roberson passed up the layup… then got it back and missed. Might have been fouled but whatever, that's how things go.
Wild stuff and with Joel Embiid, who famously played on a tight minutes restriction last season, passing his career high in minutes played (he’d get to 49 mins in the end), guys like Russ and Steve were raising the bat for half-centuries. Steve’s got cut short though, a sixth foul with 2:12 left in 3OT meant the end of his night. The end of his tussle with Embiid too, Joel sure was happy to see him go…
This time the Thunder found a way. Andre Roberson put it in on the reverse with about ten seconds remaining and Redick’s attempted winner at the death was blocked by Patrick Patterson and finally this game was over. Russell Westbrook celebrated with a lil wave of his own…
24 points for each of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Russ had 27p/18r/15a for a massive stat line… but he shot 10/33 as well in 53 minutes so it was all pretty bloated. Rare bad one on the offensive end for Adams as well. Joel Embiid supposedly had a back injury (and he looked puffed by the end) and still scored 34 with 8 rebs and 6 ast, though you can see the Adams Effect in there with those rebounds. Triple-OT and he still only had eight. Redick had 19, Saric had 16. Robert Covington shot 4/21, including 3/15 from 3pt, for his 11 points. Hit some buckets in the extras though to make that better than it could’ve been.
Thunderous Intentions Players Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (A-)
“Steven Adams presented Joel Embiid with the biggest defensive challenge he’s faced all season. The fact Embiid dropped 34 points on 11-20 shooting from the field is truly a testament to his greatness. Adams was a brick wall for much of the night, forcing Embiid to pass the ball back to the perimeter on plays clearly meant to be isolation.
You know how I talked about Westbrook’s stamina earlier? The Big Kiwi even put Russ to shame. Before fouling out Adams was the Thunder’s leader in playing time with a mediocre 51 minutes. Going against Joel Embiid in the post. Holding him to a whopping zero offensive rebounds. It’s time I start the “Steven Adams for Third Team All-NBA campaign” now.
PS. The negative stems from his season-low 25% shooting from the field tonight. Adams wasn’t tasked to score the ball tonight, but you want him to be hitting 50% of his shots if he’s only getting 8 attempts in 51 minutes.”
at NEW YORK KNICKS (L 111-96)
Huh now that’s just a damned shame. You could be forgiven for missing the incident in the Philly game as Steve and Embiid played that whole thing so hard and physical plus Adams played on after that knock early in the first overtime right up until he fouled out. There wasn’t any initial indication that anything had gone down but then here we were with the concussion protocol so yeah. Can’t be too safe with this stuff, it’s not the first time in his career that he’s been in the CP either.
Unfortunately it kinda ruined the spectacle with one more player missing from the Carmelo Returns to NY game. Melo was still there, always the main headline, but Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr were out for the Knicks and now Adams was missing from the Thunder. Doesn’t really lend itself to a classic contest then… though at least Steve found time to catch up with a familiar old mate!
Then again, this is the Thunder, so naturally they found a way to allow the Knicks to shoot 55% for the game without their best offensive player. Melo got a great reception, with a video and everything (although they booed him plenty during the game). He scored 12 points in the first half. Westbrook was better in this one too, scoring 25 points on 9/18 shooting. But then the Knicks ended the half on an 11-3 run and they blew it out in the final quarter, winning it by 15. Carmelo Anthony? Scoreless in the entire second half. Mike Beasley had 30 for the Knicks, who shot 14/23 from deep. 10 points and 5 rebounds for Enes Kanter.
vs DENVER NUGGETS (W 95-94)
The only thing keeping this from being the most stereotypical 2017-18 Thunder game imaginable was that Steven Adams was still out. Yet at home to the Nuggets that didn’t seem to matter when Dakari Johnson, starting in place of Kiwi Steve, scored the first bucket and OKC shot out to a 6-0 lead. Then a 21-9 lead. Then a 32-18 lead after the first quarter. Blowing them away with that old adage of good defence blurring into good attack.
But then Denver started to come back, down by only 8 at the half. Then they continued to comeback, beginning the third on a 10-2 run to tie things up at 54-all. Former Wellington Saints player Torrey Craig dropped a three pointer to bump a lead and before you knew it the Thunder were trailing by double digits. Which is exactly when Russell Westbrook clicked and became the man who won the MVP last season. He scored 16 points in the final quarter, including a layup to even the game at 94-all and then the free throw that ended up winning the game. Gary Harris couldn’t hit the three as the buzzer went and OKC won.
Harris had 17 for Denver and Trey Lyles added 15. But Russ dominated this game with 38 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, guiding his team to victory despite Melo only scoring 4 points on 6 shots and PG13 shooting 3/13 for 8 points. 3/3 from deep for 11 points for Alex Abrines too, on the sly.
vs UTAH JAZZ (W 107-79)
So that’s good news then. They might not have needed up against an undermanned Jazz team at the end of a long road trip but then we’d have a whole lot less to talk about here. Because it didn’t take long for the Thunder to punish the Jazz, keeping them to a season-low 9 points in the first quarter, meanwhile Russ didn’t miss a shot in the opening frame. Hey and it was only two games but, yo, definitely missed these buckets. Billy Donovan too, probably.
Not really a game where Adams was able to get himself involved offensively in this first half outside of his two early buckets. He had a hook shot that was no good, plus he went up for a slamming put back dunk that probably would’ve ripped a tear in the time-space continuum if he’d gotten it in his grip. Thing is, Russ was hitting damn near everything so not only does that limit the passes the point guard can make but it also takes away those offensive rebounds. All goods when your team is up seventeen points… which is when this happened. Too bloody easy!
Say, this look like a foul to you? You’re looking at the man who leads the NBA in offensive rebound percentage, with 16.4% of opportunities reeled in. Only DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond are also above 16%.
By half time it was 53-37. The Jazz found some shooting in the second quarter but nothing that could cut into the deficit and Russ already had 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists on 9/11 shooting. Very decent, that. Carrying on that hot form from the end of the Denver game. Adams with 7p/6r/2a at the break, rather enjoying not having to play against the injured Rudy Gobert by the looks.
This is still the Thunder so you know that no lead is safe, particularly in the third quarter. But when Oklahoma City dropped 15 straight points in the middle of the third then, well, that’s pretty much the end of that, no reason for the starters to bother with the fourth quarter. The Jazz were clearly gassed after all that travel and OKC, say it quiet, have been flexing a more ball-movement-heavy style of play recently. It was never a contest.
Slight worry when Adams trod on Ekpe Udoh’s foot as he was fouled on his way up from the Westbrook feed. Seemed to hurt his ankle and he limped his way back to the free throw line. Could be one to keep an eye on down the line but he shook it off and hit both free throws before hitting the bench with an 81-48 lead and that was understandably the last time he was seen on the court here. Took his place on the bench rather than heading down the tunnel as well, sweet as. He was a +38 on the court vs Utah.
Russ ended with 24p/10r/7a, Melo and George each had 18 points. The best stat line of all, though? Gotta be this one: Joe Ingles – 26 MINS | 0 PTS (0/4 3PT)
Thunderous Intentions Players Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (A)
“The Big Kiwi was as stout as ever in his return from injury. The OKC Thunder big man had 11 points, 9 rebounds and was a team high +38 in just 26 minutes. Oklahoma City is a better team when Adams is on the floor. His play this evening was yet another example of that.”
SLAM DUNKS
Hoops Hype, Top 25 NBA Players Under 25:
14. Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder
2017-18 Stats: 13.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Thus far this season, Steven Adams is averaging career-highs in points (13.7), rebounds (8.8), field-goal percentage (63.5), BPM (2.4) and PER (21.0). Adams is finally beginning to live up to the four-year, $100 million extension Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti signed him to just over a year ago. Although the New Zealand-born center doesn’t space the floor like some of his more modern counterparts at the position, he knows his limitations and plays to his strengths extremely well.
Helmet? Pfft. That’s the Richie McCaw special, amigo.
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