Steven Adams experienced a quiet night as Oklahoma City dropped game one of the NBA Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio.
The Thunder's 122-105 defeat at the AT&T Centre in Texas today saw the Spurs open a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven race to advance to the NBA Finals, with game two set for Thursday afternoon (NZT).
Five days after his break-out performance in the series-clinching win against the Los Angeles Clippers, Adams played 17 minutes and contributed four points, two rebounds, a block and an assist, unable to prevent the NBA's best offence from controlling the game from the tip.
The Kiwi rookie's first stint on the floor came midway through the opening period, when he helped haul in the Spurs' early nine-point lead. But coach Scott Brooks limited the seven-footer's involvement after the halftime break, opting instead to play small ball in the absence of injured power forward Serge Ibaka.
Adams again entered the game late in the third after Oklahoma City had taken their first lead since the opening minutes, but the Spurs took charge in the final quarter and eventually ran up a double-digit win.
