Kiwi centre Steven Adams gave his countrymen a lesson in the harsh realities of NBA basketball, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 110-84 pre-season win over the NZ Breakers.
From the opening tip, Adams played the leading role in his team's dominance of the Auckland-based Australian NBL club, scoring the opening basket and accumulating 15 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.
When he checked out of the game midway through the third quarter, Adams had 19 points, through a variety of offensive moves that did not include any three-pointers on this occasion.
The performance came against several Tall Blacks who had just returned from a World Cup campaign and served as a small reminder of what his national team was missing without him on board.
"Steven played really well," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "From a size difference, he had a huge advantage up front."
Two days after finishing within 14 points of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Breakers were never really in the hunt against Oklahoma City, conceding a 12-point run in the opening stanza that had them on the back foot throughout.
The margin stretched to 37 points early in the fina period, before Donovan went deep into his bench to finish the contest.
Centre Rob Loe duelled with Adams for much of the game and matched his 19 points, but the Breakers received little from starting guards RJ Hampton (eight points) and Corey Webster (10 points), who shot a combined 6/21 from the field.
Webster, who had 19 points against the Grizzlies, was scoreless entering the final quarter, before a finishing flourish to help his stats.
American Scottie Hopson - who spent time with the Thunder last season - managed 15 points for the Breakers.
The New Zealand club return home for their opening NBL fixture against the Sydney Kings next Friday.
Newshub.
