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Thunder’s big goal for Game 4: Keep Steven Adams out of foul trouble

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz host the Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 3, NBA playoff basketball in Salt Lake City, Saturday April 21, 2018. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12).

Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan showed creativity by having five shooters on the court in portions of Game 3 on Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, but he would rather keep starting center Steven Adams in the lineup a lot longer in Monday night’s Game 4.

Adams played a total of 48 minutes in Oklahoma City’s losses in Games 2 and 3, due to foul trouble. Having that happen twice in a row surprised Donovan.

“Steven is a really, really smart player,” Donovan said after the team’s Monday morning shootaround. “He’s very bright. It’s been surprising that he’s had two consecutive games that he’s been in foul trouble. He’s always a guy that tries to make corrections … Some of those calls could have gone the either way, maybe. But I think with his IQ, the way he communicates with the officials and how the game’s being officiated, he usually adjusts.”

Thunder forward Paul George said Adams’ teammates could do a better job with their perimeter rotations on defense, allowing Adams to stay closer to the basket. “He’s really, really good when he’s in position,” George said.

The key stretch of Saturday’s Game 2 came when Adams picked up his third foul with 9:20 left in the second quarter and went to the bench for the rest of the first half. The Jazz turned an 11-point deficit into a 58-53 halftime lead.

Oklahoma City also was determined Monday to do more to disrupt the Jazz’s offense. “Just doing everything tough, making it hard offensively to get a rhythm,” George said. “Take them out of their sets. They’re a rhythm team; they like to run and get to their plays. We’ve got to take them out of that, though.”

Part of the buildup to Game 4 involved the statement of Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook about wanting to “shut off” the Jazz’s Ricky Rubio, who scored 26 points Saturday. Westbrook’s teammates promised to do their part as well.

“Russ is going to be locked in; we’ve got to be locked in to that degree, that level,” George said.