Kiwi Steven Adams and Oklahoma City Thunder have claimed a much-needed 119-107 overtime win in their first-round Western Conference playoff series against Houston Rockets on Sunday (NZ time).
Trailing 2-0 in the series, the Thunder had to win to keep their series hopes alive, as teams trailing 3-0 in the NBA playoffs are 0-136 in all-time.
But the Thunder dug deep, outscoring the Rockets 15-3 in overtime to make it a 2-1 series at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.
Adams was kept quiet in his 35 minutes of court-time, scoring six points, along with 13 rebounds and two assists.
The 27-year-old left the game with 24.4 seconds remaining with a right knee contusion and didn't return, although coach Billy Donovan says he didn't feel the need to bring Adams back.
Dennis Schroder scored a team-high 29 points, while Chris Paul added 26 for the Thunder, while James Harden - who fouled out in overtime - posted a game-high 38 points.
Paul missed a reverse lay-up attempt at the buzzer to end regulation, closing a wild sequence that capped the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime.
Meanwhile, Miami Heat took a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series against Indian Pacers with their 124-115 win.
Miami will go for the best-of-seven series sweep on Tuesday, with a chance to move on to the Eastern semifinals against either Milwaukee Bucks or Orlando Magic.
The Bucks hold a 2-1 series lead, after Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points to help his side claim a 121-107 win in their series.
Newshub/Reuters
