Kiwi star Steven Adams has clashed with former teammate Russell Westbrook, as his Oklahoma City Thunder produced a stunning comeback to edge Houston Rockets 117-114 in their NBA playoff showdown.
The Rockets led by as many as 15 points during the third quarter, but lost their advantage early in the fourth, after Oklahoma City rattled off 14 unanswered points.
As the teams swapped leads down the stretch, Italian forward Danilo Gallinari came up with the big defensive steal with less than a minute remaining, German guard Dennis Schroder put OKC three points clear and they held on to tie up their Western Conference first round series 2-2.
Schroder led the Thunder with 30 points, with guard Chris Paul providing 26 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 18.
Adams had 12 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes, but seemed to take exception to the close presence of former OKC teammate Westbrook, now with Houston and lurking on the sidelines injured.
During an early timeout, the pair began pointing at each other and talking trash, with Westbrook wearing an LA Lakers singlet to honour the birthday of superstar Kobe Bryant, who died in a plane crash in January.
All-Star guard James Harden paced the Rockets with 32 points and 15 assists.
The two teams share history - Harden was traded to Houston for the draft pick that yielded Adams in 2013. Westbrook was traded for Paul last summer.
They meet again on Thursday (NZ time).
