New Orleans Arena, the ga is about to start soon.
The venue is unusually packed with local fans for this match.
The main reason is the intense pre-ga atmosphere between the fans of both sides. Zeng Xingyang, a rising superstar in the league, has many people wanting to watch him.
The Pelicans’ starting lineup is: Holiday, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Anthony Davis, Asik.
Davis is 2.08 ters tall, and Asik is 2.13 ters tall. The Pelicans’ twin towers have enough height.
However, Asik’s form has declined significantly compared to last season, and his playing ti has also decreased a lot this season.
Peguin Sports still has Wang ng and Kovan comntating on this ga.
The ga began with the Nuggets’ periter defense being excellent. Tyreke Evans’ attempts to break through Pope, Zeng Xingyang, and Harris were unsuccessful, and Davis, usually fierce inside, found himself intimidated by Jokic and could only resort to jump shots from outside.
Scoring was difficult for the Pelicans, but the Nuggets’ offense wasn’t much better either.
Both teams employed twin-tower tactics, further congesting the space, and with the Pelicans’ defense extending outwards, Zeng Xingyang was suddenly under imnse pressure, facing double-teams from the Pelicans.
Then Nurkic repeatedly asked for low-post plays, but with Asik’s weight advantage, it wasn’t easy for him, leading to either being defended against or making so basic errors.
In the first few minutes, the Nuggets could rely on defense to tug at the opponents, but as the Pelicans managed to draw fouls from various positions, getting to the free-throw line, they gradually took control of the ga.
The Nuggets’ players were decent in one-on-one defense, but once they needed to cooperate as a team, various small gaps began to appear.
Eric Gordon gradually found his rhythm, starting to hit so difficult three-pointers from the outside.
Zeng Xingyang knew Round-faced Deng’s offense was potent; this guy was incredibly versatile on the offensive end and even beca the team’s best sixth man during his ti with the Rockets. Besides Harden, he had the strongest self-initiated offensive capability in the Rockets.
Harris felt stifled, as if he defended too close, Gordon could easily pass him, and if he pursued, it was easy to commit fouls.
After half a quarter, the score reached 4 to 13, and the Nuggets found it hard to score as visitors.
Mike Malone was forced to call a tiout.
"What the hell, what’s with the Nuggets’ lineup, so trashy."
"The inside is so crowded, no way to cut through."
"This Nurkic is really not up to the mark."
"The system and tempo are all ssed up."
"Mike Malone is losing it again, what’s with the twin towers, just cut it out."
Nuggets fans began to berate Mike Malone.
Mike Malone dared not attempt the twin-tower lineup any longer, quickly subbing out Nurkic and bringing in Jerami Grant, repositioning Jokic as the center.
Zeng Xingyang wasn’t very optimistic about Mike Malone’s twin-center tactics.
Although Nurkic is a decent center, that’s all there is to it. He is practically the only player who can’t fit with Jokic.
After all, when he’s on the court with Jokic, space becos too limited, making it tough for forwards and guards to penetrate, and Nurkic’s playing style is more about having the ball, not so good at catching passes, or sharing the ball, which significantly hinders Jokic’s performance.
But Zeng Xingyang didn’t have sufficient reason to convince Malone to abandon this tactic, so he could only let ti prove it.
The cara focused on Zeng Xingyang, the team’s go-to guy when in need of troubleshooting.
Once Nurkic was off the court, the Nuggets’ offense quickly improved.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic executed the pick-and-roll effectively, making the team’s offense smoother, relying on their pick-and-roll plays.
Zeng Xingyang signaled for Pope to defend Round-faced Gordon.
Gordon, feeling good, attempted to single out Pope, but he underestimated Pope’s defensive abilities.
Pope, with quick foot movents, strong physical confrontation, and a clear defensive awareness, could stick close to any guard without losing position, facing taller forwards without fear.
Pope had a clear mind; he could anticipate opponents’ moves and react in ti. These traits made his defense particularly tough.
With Pope containing Gordon, the Nuggets began to catch up in scoring.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 19 to 19.
The Nuggets had caught up.
Peguin Sports’ live broadcast room.
Wang ng said, "Ball possession must be in the hands of Jokic and Zeng Xingyang, let the two of them collaborate, this is the foundation for the Nuggets’ survival, Coach Malone shouldn’t ss around."
Kovan said, "Zeng Xingyang faced very apparent targeting this ga, with Holiday’s defense significantly disrupting his offense, but Zeng has been playing calmly, not forcing his way but maintaining patience throughout."
Wang ng said, "With Nurkic off the court, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic imdiately felt liberated, with a substantial increase in their efficiency, allowing others to relax a bit more."
Kovan said, "The Nuggets are getting better; newcors Pope and Grant have also shown strong defensive value on the court; in the first half, they managed to hold Gordon down, who didn’t make any successful shots in the second half, while Grant also got a block on Asik."
The cara now zeroed in on Gordon, breathing heavily, shocked at Pope’s strong defense, making it hard for him to attack.
On the Nuggets’ bench, Zeng Xingyang ca over to high-five Pope in celebration, "Man, great defense, keep it up."
Gordon attempted screens to shake off Pope but to no avail, continuously being bypassed or squeezed through, unable to find space.
Zeng Xingyang thought that if Pope used such defense on him, he’d also have a tough ti.
Pope nodded seriously; having his defense acknowledged by Zeng Xingyang was a reason for joy.
It wasn’t just Gordon feeling frustrated on the Pelicans’ side; Anthony Davis was also quite disheartened.
Facing Jokic for the majority of the ti, Anthony Davis had no solutions.
Couldn’t move him upon collision and occupied a large space, whether in ball-handling or bursting through.
When it ca to shooting, he disrupted Davis’s rhythm.
After playing the first quarter, Anthony Davis scored only 1 point, courtesy of a free throw.
Considering he averaged 25 points a season, facing Jokic tonight, it was genuinely tough for him.
Zeng Xingyang also observed Anthony Davis’s predicant, chuckling away.
Jokic is truly the nesis of Anthony Davis.
It seems these two were born arch rivals.
As the second quarter began, the Nuggets’ second unit was led by Nelson and Nurkic.
On the Pelicans’ side, it was Tyreke Evans and Asik leading.
Enter the second lineup and Tyreke Evans beca lively again, continuously utilizing Asik’s screens to charge in and score.
If eting double-teams in the paint, he’d pass the ball to the outside for Ryan Anderson to attempt a three-pointer.
Ryan Anderson is a quintessential big man shooter, at a towering 2.08 ters, his career three-point percentage is an impressive 38%.
Zeng Xingyang rembered this guy also carved out a niche with the Rockets, landing a hefty contract to then settle down.
His three-point shooting style was highly compatible with the Rockets, albeit his defense couldn’t match up, leading to his marginalization in later stages.
Once he entered the ga, he found it easy against the Nuggets’ second unit, sinking two successive three-pointers.
The combined scoring of Tyreke Evans and Ryan Anderson gave the Pelicans a foothold in the ga.
Four minutes into the ga, the score reached 25 to 30, with the Pelicans leading by 5 points.
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