Kiwi Steven Adams has been benched by Memphis Grizzlies, as the Western Conference second seeds staged a miracle comeback to regain home advantage in their NBA playoff series against Minnesota Timberwolves.
Upset at home in the series-opener, the Grizzlies began Game Three ice cold, conceding 12 unanswered points from tipoff and falling as many as 26 points early in the second quarter, before producing a 15-point run to end the first half.
Memphis trailled by 25 late in the third quarter, but another 21-point outburst brought them back to level terms, before they outscored the Timberwolves 37-12 in the final period, eventually prevailing 104-95 at Minneapolis.
Throughout this drama, Adams moved off the bench only to welcome his teammates to timeouts.
After starting at the centre spot throughout the 82-game regular season, the Kiwi was totally outplayed and outscored 29-0 by All-Star opponent Karl Anthony Towns, as Minnesota stole the series-opener and home advantage, and logged just three minutes and two quick fouls in Game Two.
This time, forward Kyle Anderson was inserted into the starting five, with Jaren Jackson Jr moving to centre, while forward Brandon Clarke started the second half, as Memphis coach Tayler Jenkins opted for a smaller line-up and double teams to nullify Towns, who scored just eight points from four field goal attempts.
Adams was not listed on his team's injury report, suggesting his absence was purely tactical.
Guard Desmond Bane sank seven three-pointers among his 26 points for the Grizzlies and Clarke had 20 points, while All-Star guard Ja Morant compiled a 'triple double' of 16 points/10 rebounds/10 assists. Guard D'Angelo Russell led Minnesota with 22 points.
Game Four of the series is scheduled for Sunday (NZ time), with the winners facing the winners of Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets. The Warriors currently lead that series 3-0.
