Kiwi centre Steven Adams has helped his Memphis Grizzlies extend their NBA playoff lives with a 134-95 romp over Golden State Warriors - without All-Star guard Ja Morant.
Down 3-1 in their Western Conference semi-final series and facing elimination on their homecourt, the Grizzlies produced one of their greatest post-season performances to cover for Morant, named the NBA's Most Improved Player this month.
Largely unused in their first-round series against Minnesota Timberwolves and sidelined two games with COVID-19, Adams has re-established himself back in the Memphis starting line-up, accumulating seven points, three assists and 13 rebounds, including six offensive boards.
The contest marked the first time the Grizzlies had outrebounded the Warriors during this series and their 77 first-half points was the most they've ever scored in a playoff half.
With Morant nursing a bone bruise in his knee, three teammates - Jaren Jackson Jr, Tyus Jones and Desmond Bane - stepped up to score 21 points each, with four others reaching double figures. Thirty-seven of their 47 field goals came off assists.
Memphis' emergence this season has been characterised by their ability to overcome injuries to key players - they were 20-5 without Morant during the regular season.
Golden State now have a chance to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference finals with victory at San Francisco on Saturday (NZ time).
