BOX SCORES

vs MILWAUKEE BUCKS (L 97-95):

32 MINS | 6 PTS (2/7 FG 2/3 FT) | 7 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 3 PF

vs DALLAS MAVERICKS (L 116-113):

31 MINS | 10 PTS (5/8 FG) | 8 REB | 1 STL | 3 TO | 4 PF

at LOS ANGELES LAKERS (W 133-96):

26 MINS | 12 PTS (6/10 FG) | 6 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 3 BLK | 4 PF

at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (W 127-117):

35 MINS | 12 PTS (5/11 FG, 2/2 FT) | 9 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 2 PF

NEXT WEEK

at PHOENIX SUNS, 2.00pm on Monday (NZT)

vs PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS, 2.00pm on Wednesday (NZT)

at MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES, 2.00pm on Thursday (NZT)

vs MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Umm, you may have heard how this one ended. Scores tied at 95, only seconds left on the clock. Giannis Antetokounmpo took the inbounds pass rolling towards the byline, bursting past Josh Heustis and dunking past the challenge from Russell Westbrook. With no timeouts left, all Westbrook could do was throw up a three-quarter court heave with 1.3 seconds left and that was that, OKC losing 97-95.

Except that Giannis had very clearly stepped on the line on the way to his game-winner. Replays were unanimous and Billy Donovan and his players were insistent that the refs take a look. But they couldn’t. There was no whistle on the floor which meant the play was not reviewable, technicalities denying the Thunder a chance to win this game.

Safe to say that the OKC players were not at all happy.

Patty later got fined $10k for that tweet… but he still hasn’t deleted it.

Yet of course that’s far from the full picture. OKC may have been robbed at the end but they gave it away from free at the start. Six minutes into this game they were already down 16-2, missing seven of their first eight field goal attempts with four turnovers and digging themselves one helluva hole to climb out of. They were down 20 points after the first, the deficit peaking at 41-19 early in the second. That lone early field goal though? Ha, you don’t even have to ask.

Playing from that far behind meant it was gonna be tough to get Steven Adams involved. Grinding post-up offence wasn’t gonna swing the momentum after Antetokounmpo, Tony Snell and Khris Middleton had lit things up already. Chances are we were in for a heavy dose of Westbrook here ball… and that’s exactly what we got.

Granted Adams didn’t help himself by missing five of his seven shots. He wasn’t able to be the factor he usually is with those offensive rebounds, only gathering in two which is the fewest he’s had in a single game since November 20 when he had a couple against the Pelicans (aka Davis & Cousins). That game was also a defeat, by the way. Just as four of the five total games in which he’s had two or fewer off boards have been this season. Funny how these stats always seem to suggest that More Steve = More Wins.

So yeah, a bit crap from Funaki. Maybe too much Christmas Ham or something, it was also just the second time in fourteen games that Adams had scored in the single figures going back to the start of December.

The Thunder were without Paul George through injury and it showed with their early defence. But credit to Billy D, they tightened things right up after that. Following 38 points conceded in the first they only gave up 35 combined in the 2Q and 3Q. Westbrook was playing fast and free and Alex Abrines was sitting patiently on the bench after getting exploited defensively early on. They got some good contributions from the subs and closed it within three points in the third, though that touching distance soon slipped away.

With a little over seven minutes left they were down by 12. With 19 seconds left they were down by five. Then Russ drove for two and Adams purposely fouled Eric Bledsoe, who missed both free throws. Russ hit a triple with five secs left to tie it up. You know what happened next.

Westbrook ended with 40 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists. But nobody else scored more than 12 points. Antetokounmpo logged 23p/12r/6a for the Bucks while Middleton added 20 and John Henson scored 18 points.

Thunderous Intentions Players Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (B)

“Steven Adams was abysmal in the first quarter – he could not figure out the perfect balance to John Henson help-side defense. Sometimes he’d sink to low and allow Henson to get an easy 10-footer, while other possessions he’d stretch out too far and give Bucks’ perimeter players enough space to drive to the bucket. Once Adams shored that up it was the typical Big Kiwi game except for an atypical 2-7 shooting performance. With Paul George out Adams didn’t get the looks he’s been accustomed to all season, yet another reason to pray PG rests up quickly.”

Yeah, g’day, just interrupting this broadcast to let you know that we’ve got a Patreon page and you oughta pop on over if you wanna be one of those cool kids who help TNC survive and thrive.

vs DALLAS MAVERICKS

The last game of 2017 for the Thunder, the first of 2017 if you were watching from Aotearoa. Either way it’s one that didn’t go entirely as planned. The Mavs have been a little scrappier lately, particularly their rookie Dennis Smith Jr, but still this fared as a pretty blatant chance to get back to winning ways after losing to the Bucks as they did.

So Adams missing on his first shot kinda sucked then, same goes for his follow up tip that rimmed back out. Westbrook was there to tip it in for the first points of the contest – that dynamic’s usually the other way round – and OKC soon jumped out in front 8-2 with another crunching dunk from Kiwi Steve, a move which began from a Paul George tip-block as he made his return to the lineup. No Andre Roberson though.

OKC led until Smith Jr tied things up with a straight-on triple, 17-all. Adams missed a chance to put back a Melo clanger immediately after and things got kinda see-saw-ish until Dallas scored the last seven of the frame to lead 35-32.

Steve spent a chunk of the second on the bench resting up after playing all but the last 1:25 of the first. The reintroduction of him, Melo and Russ cranked it up a notch, Melo hitting a couple threes, and OKC were up 63-57 at the break, outscoring the Mavs by nine in that quarter. Decent stuff. Steve chucked one down after a Josh Heustis miss soon after the restart, as well as another to tie things back up later on after Dallas had briefly stolen back the lead (well, he was credited it but how much of that tip was him and how much was Terrance Ferguson and Harrison Barnes is up for debate. Take ‘em how they come, Adams had eight shots in this one but all three of his second half attempts were from offensive regathers).

This was a tight contest. The Thunder missed Roberson more than they’d have guessed as they tried to figure out how to stop the Mavericks methodically plugging away with a simple but effective offensive approach. Still, this should have been a routine win. After again playing big mins in the third, Adams stepped back into the game with 7:12 left in the fourth, the Thunder up 94-91. Russell Westbrook was making buckets and the other two main men were chipping in nicely as well. Yet timely trebles from Dallas meant they couldn’t ever get away and Jerami Grant replaced Adams with 3:27 left for some added bounce and range.

Grant finally got his first points with a two that put OKC back in front at 106-105 with less than two minutes remaining. Then Dennis Smith went wild. The rookie had seen Westbrook dominate large portions of this game but he saved his run for the final stretch, scoring 11 points in the last 100 seconds. Westbrook missed a three with 20 seconds left to tie it, Adams came back in and then OKC got a lucky break with Dwight Powell fouling PG13 for three. He made ‘em all and Russ got a second chance to hit a game-tying three… he missed again. The Thunder lost 116-113. Two Ls in a row.

Russ ended with 38 points shooting 17/28 along with 15 rebounds and 11 assists. Massive from him, especially alongside 21 points from Anthony and 25 from George. That only left a measly 10p/8r for Kiwi Steve but for once offence was not the issue here. It was struggling defence without Roberson, allowing 116 points to a Mavs team that were 13-25 for the season, including 32 points in the fourth quarter. Barnes scored 24, Smith had 19p/6a while Nowitzki added 13. Every Mavs player made at least three buckets, only five OKC players made more than one.

Thunderous Intentions Players Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (C+)

“The Big Kiwi’s presence can’t be felt when he doesn’t get the proper touches down-low. Adams brought down five offensive rebounds but only attempted eight shots from the field. He struggled to defend Dallas’ spread offense, a big reason why the Mavericks were able to go off on an elite OKC offense.”

at LOS ANGELES LAKERS

There was still no Andre Roberson in Los Angeles as that dude dealt with a little left knee tendinitis which is expected to keep him out for two further games after this one. Alex Abrines had started for Paul George against the Bucks. His defence was awful so Josh Heustis started for Roberson against the Mavs. His offence was awful. So against the Lakers it was former Adelaide 36er Terrance Ferguson given his first ever NBA start. Meanwhile the Lakers were missing Lonzo Ball.

There was also some confusion about Julius Randle starting with Brook Lopez back and available but then he and Kyle Kuzma each got busy, combining for all the points as the Lakers shot out to a 10-0 lead inside three minutes before Russ finally got one to go on the drive. That fella Kuzma is a feisty rookie, he got a hand on an Adams shot later on, before Steve fouled him for three and took a seat within the first six mins. Didn’t even score before that and we didn’t see him again until the second.

OKC leant on Westbrook and Anthony to put up shots and on this day they were falling good. 26-26 after a quarter, once they went back to their starters in the second it was all over. Steven Adams hit his deepest shot of the season with this 13-footer (with the favourable bobble) and chucked in another from the RW feed, though he did miss a couple shots you’d expect him to do better with.

But yeah, it was 35-34 when Westbrook came back into the contest and next thing the Thunder were up by double figures. Steve only had 4p/4r at half-time but that’s because the Big Three were doing everything, scoring 50 of their 61 points, the Thunder leading by 17 at the break.

Adams added eight points in the third, coming out and playing some quality stuff after having a couple issues with the Lakers shooters earlier on. He had three blocks in this game. And then, having been scoreless at the break, Terrance Ferguson came back in and commenced a three-point barrage. Then he came up with a couple dunks, including a fancy windmill. Call this one a blowout.

The Thunder continued to torch it to the point where Nick Collison and Kyle Singler got five minutes each at the end. Damn, that’s a hiding. Ol’ Rusty Buckets didn’t even bother TD’ing before he was out of there with 20p/6r/12a and Melo added 21, George 24 (PG and Fergo were the only starters to take the court in the 4Q). The real star was Terrance Ferguson with his six triples, scoring 24 in his first NBA start. That’s the way, amigo. For the Lakers Kyle Kuzma was the main man with 18 points. Nobody else scored more than 12. Back to winning ways then.

Thunderous Intentions Player Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (B+)

“The Big Kiwi struggled against the Los Angeles small-ball unit tonight…until the Thunder started taking advantage of his size. After drawing two quick fouls in the first Adams was relegated to the bench for some time. Once he got back him OKC – aka Westbrook – made it a prerogative to feed their big man the ball. 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks; another typical Steven Adams game.”

at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

The Clippers are another very beatable team but they’ve been better in recent times, coming into this one on a four game winning streak. Austin Rivers and Dan Gallinari were out but otherwise they had all their main dudes (unless you still count Chris Paul… or Patty Beverley who’s out for the season). DeAndre Jordan is the only guy to have played every game for the Clips this season but Blake Griffin was there and those two already make them tough to play against.

Adams got on the board early. He put away a couple shots as well as hauling in four offensive boards in the first quarter. The Clippers started quicker and led from the first bucket all the way through the quarter and were up by as many as 13 in the second. So what do you do? You close the half on a 24-11 run to have things even at 64-all. Strong stuff from OKC on offence, all their main dudes getting involved there, but defence was a worry as DeAndre Jordan swallowed every rebound and that LAC bench was able to score through a few different outlets.

Slight bit of drama late on in the second. Steven Adams is famous for bringing out the mongrel in opposition players but he’s also famous for his calm head and mild temperament. Usually he’s the one walking over to break up scraps. So when he went after CJ Williams for stepping across him with an elbow up and his foot right under where Steve was trying to land you knew he was properly fired up.

Phwoar, settle down chief! Thought he was gonna drop him for a second there, CJ was pissin’ himself. Can’t hardly blame him either. Anyway, the refs had a look at it… and gave Steve the tech. Alrighty then. Steve then tied his laces a little tighter and was good to go.

Those pesky Clippers, they weren’t going away either. DeAndre Jordan was picking up buckets with some physical stuff while Lou Williams and Blake Griffin chimed in also. Melo picked up his fifth foul late in the third, then we started to see some Hack-A-Jordan – Adams grabbing him very politely after a defensive rebound to send a 58% shooter to the line. He made them both for the lead.

The Clippers still led it 97-94 after the third, closing it on a 16-6 run. So the Thunder came out and blew it up, starting with some Jerami Grant buckets and soon enough culminating in all sorts of Westbrooking. Rusty Buckets completed his triple double midway through the fourth. The way they were clicking offensively was very close to what they’re trying to get to – scoring at least 30 points in every quarter and restricting the Clips when it mattered.

Welcome to Loud City: “The Thunder opened the fourth quarter with 12 unanswered points to give them a 106-97 lead. The offensive execution from the Thunder was outstanding and the ball movement was beautiful to watch. They were able to get absolutely anything they wanted and they showed how difficult they can be to defend. Westbrook was getting to the rim at will, Melo and PG were automatic from distance, and Steven Adams was there to clean up any misses.”

It all boiled over for Blake Griffin when he responded to a hard pick from Adams by pretty much rugby tackling him to the floor. Blake reckoned he had his arm pinned by Steve though and the refs called it a double foul and a diplomatic jump ball at centre court. At this stage the Thunder were up by 12 with 1:11 to play and Kiwi Steve shoulda put some icing on the cake with a thumping dunk but Thornwell snuck up behind him and smacked it away. No worries, they got it done in the end. 127-117, sweeping the double header in LA and making it 8-2 in their last ten.

29p/12r/11a for Westbrook, while Melo added 22 points and George had 31 to lead all scorers. Five three-pointers for PG13. Ferguson also added 11 while Adams had 12 with 9 rebounds – 7 of them o-boards. DeAndre Jordan ended with 26 points and 17 rebounds, Lou Williams also scored 26 and Griffin finished with 24p/9r/7a.

Oh yeah and this happened, haha…

SLAM DUNKS

Jonathan Tjarks/The Ringer: “Adams is the rare supersized player with a high motor, and his activity level and physical presence gets under the skin of opposing players. He has been a thorn in the side of Golden State before, getting in Green’s head in the 2016 Western Conference finals. However, for as well as Adams played at times in that series, he has the same problem as Capela and Gobert when Golden State goes small: He doesn’t get the ball enough to attack a mismatch. Adams has a usage rate of 15.8 this season, and almost all of his points come from cutting to the rim, getting out in transition, and hitting the offensive glass.”

Fred Katz/Norman Transcript: “The Thunder’s 94.9 points allowed per 100 possessions while [Andre Roberson’s] on the floor is lower than for any qualifying player who has averaged 20 minutes or more. Center Steven Adams, meanwhile, has turned himself into one of the NBA’s best pick-and-roll defenders, guarding passing lanes, driving lanes and rolling lines simultaneously as well as any other big man. He defends the rim, too. Three-time All-Defensive Team member Paul George could be on the way to four, as well. George leads the NBA in steals and deflections.

It’s rare that three teammates make the All-Defensive Team in the same season. The most recent trio to do it was Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups of the 2005-06 Detroit Pistons. What could help the Thunder, though, is that the rest of the league is going right for them, too. Many of the usual All-Defensive candidates around the NBA have had some unfortunate luck.”

Dave Schilling/Bleacher Report: “Steven Adams has been around this Thunder team through all the turmoil and turnover. He didn't panic when things looked rough early this season. "You have to mess up," he told B/R. "It's all the mistakes. You have to fail first. Once you get all that down, you understand a player a lot more and your team a lot more."”

Sweet as, another big week for Kiwi Steve. Smack an ad to support The Niche Cache and #NBAVote Steven Adams to support that fella. Bonus karmic rewards for those who do both.