Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA season is over, after being edged 104-102 by the Houston Rockets in a thrilling seven of their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday (NZ time).
Both sides battled to the wire, until a block by James Harden on a three-point attempt by unlikely star Luguentz Dortz with seconds remaining essentially sealed victory.
In the dying moments, Adams hustled to make a late steal and secure another critical possession for the Thunder, but the ensuing shot came up short.
The Kiwi finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, while All Star guard Chris Paul added a triple double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Dort top-scored for the Thunder with 30 points, while helping limit Harden to just 17 points on 4 of 15 shooting.
Russell Westbrook bounced back from a terrible game six to post 20 points and nine assists for the Rockets, with Eric Gordon and Robert Covington contributing 21 points apiece.
The Rockets advance to play the Los Angeles Lakers in round two, starting Saturday.
In the Eastern Conference, Jimmy Butler made two free throws with no time remaining on the clock to cap a wild finish and give the Miami Heat a second-straight win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, 116-114.
After posting a 115-104 win in Game 1, the Heat appeared to be in command Wednesday with a 113-107 advantage with less than 20 seconds to go.
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo then threw down a dunk, and Brook Lopez stole Butler's inbounds pass, converting a layup that trimmed the gap to two with 8.5 seconds left.
After Butler made just one of two free throws for a 114-111 lead with 7.7 seconds left, Goran Dragic was called for a debated brush foul on a Khris Middleton 3-point attempt. When Middleton made all three of his foul shots, the game shockingly was tied with 4.3 seconds remaining.
That was enough time for Butler to benefit from a similar touch foul at the other end on a corner jumper he got off just before the horn. Antetokounmpo was whistled for putting a hand on Butler's hip during the follow through, setting up the game-winning free throws.
Reuters/Newshub.
