SALT LAKE CITY – When talking to Steven Adams about what goes wrong on defense, he often blames his guards. He's joking (kind of).
Much of what goes wrong when defending the fast break, or the pick-and-roll in halfcourt, comes down to wing players and guards holding up their end of the bargain. But in the first quarter of the Thunder's 132-113 win against the Kings on Wednesday, even Adams was scrambled against Sacramento's pick-and-roll execution.
After a rocky start against Sacramento, even Adams – who joked that he hate guards – thought his perimeter group of Russell Westbrook, Terrance Ferguson and Paul George were on point the rest of the way.