In a storm of bad decisions, there was for the Thunder a momentary respite.
Twenty-one seconds remained in its Game 4 duel with the Rockets on Sunday, and after Oklahoma City center Steven Adams made the first of two free throws, he stepped off the line and walked to near midcourt to address Russell Westbrook in backcourt.
There was a brief exchange — “He told me just to be ready,” Westbrook said — before Adams walked back to the line, intentionally missed the second foul shot, grabbed his own rebound and found Westbrook for a deep 3-pointer that swished to cut Houston's four-point lead to one.