Kiwi centre Steven Adams and his Memphis Grizzlies are on the back foot early, upset 130-117 by Minnesota Timberwolves at home in their opening game of the NBA playoffs.
After finishing second in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record, the Grizzlies loomed as realistic contenders for the championship title, facing a team that needed to win a play-in game just to make the playoffs.
But Minnesota simply launched off that result over Los Angeles Clippers this week, leading Memphis by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter.
"We tried our best to stay ready, but it's been a minute since we played," said Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins.
"We have to come out ready to go. We didn't in the first quarter and we paid for it."
The Grizzlies clawed their way back to lead by two in the second quarter and level terms during the third, but never led in the final period, as the Timberwolves rode the hot hands of guard Anthony Edwards (36 points) and centre Karl Anthony Towns (29 points, 13 rebounds) to victory.
All-Star Ja Morant paced Memphis with 32 points, including 16/20 from the free-throw line, but Towns exposed Adams defensively in the paint and kept him scoreless at the offensive end. The big Kiwi attempted no shots from the field or charity stripe, and grabbed just three rebounds.
Memphis host Minnesota in Game Two of the best-of-seven series on Wednesday (NZ time).
