Steven Adams had a monster first quarter Sunday against Toronto: 7-of-7 shooting, 14 points. Adams finished with excellent numbers: 10-of-13 shooting, 25 points.
The first-quarter explosion was out of the ordinary for Adams. He averages 5.2 points in the first quarter this season. But the first-quarter disparity was not out of the ordinary. Adams’ production goes down significantly after the first quarter.
This season, Adams’ points per quarter are 5.2, 3.3, 3.4, 2.2. His shots per quarter go down significantly, too – 3.7, 2.2, 2.2, 1.5.
And his usage rate – the amount of possessions a player ends, either with a shot, a turnover or foul shots – is much heavier in the first quarter.