Chapter 420: Chapter 332, G1 (3)!
The timeout ended, and the Grizzlies reorganized their offense.
This time, they finally managed to take a shot at the basket, but unfortunately, it didn’t go in.
Randolph was in the right low post, going one-on-one against Gordon. Using his strong body, he continuously bumped Gordon, trying to create shooting space. Then, he opted for a turnaround jump shot.
However, because he didn’t completely fake out Gordon and was quite far from the basket, this shot was difficult.
"Clang!" The basketball hit the rim heavily and bounced high.
Zeng Xingyang quickly sprinted back under the basket, jumped high, and successfully grabbed the rebound.
Meanwhile, he sharply observed Jokic quickly cutting down the middle on a fast break.
Nobody expected that this tall center could have such speed.
Zeng Xingyang, without hesitation, made a precise long pass directly to Jokic.
The pass was perfectly timed; though Little Gasol attempted to intercept it, he was too late and could only watch as Jokic caught the ball.
After receiving the ball, Jokic faced the basket, took rhythmic three-step strides, and steadily scored.
"Beep, beep!!"
The referee’s whistle sounded; the basket counted, and Jokic earned a bonus free throw.
Jokic pumped his fist excitedly, shouting to release his inner joy.
"Whoa! Look at this beautiful coordination, the connection between Zeng Xingyang and Jokic is fantastic! We often see Zeng Xingyang receiving such passes to score, but today it’s Jokic’s turn to fast break!" The live commentator shouted excitedly.
"The Nuggets’ speed is just too fast! Their center is running even faster than the Grizzlies’ guards, it’s simply unbelievable!"
"You can’t stop it, the Nuggets’ offense is like a surging tide, wave after wave, and the Grizzlies completely can’t stand against it!"
The fans praised the Nuggets’ brilliant performance.
In this game, the Nuggets, with their outstanding performance, firmly grasped the initiative on the court from the start.
While the Grizzlies fell into trouble, they needed to find a way to respond quickly, or the suspense of the game might disappear soon.
Jokic stood at the free-throw line and calmly made the bonus shot.
to 10.
The Grizzlies still hadn’t scored, and the fans in the audience howled again.
Conley dribbled to the frontcourt.
Conley tried his best to maintain a calm mindset.
Conley passed the ball to Randolph in the post.
Randolph continued to go against Gordon.
The Nuggets’ defense is not just single coverage; they often use their fast mobility to double-team the ball handler.
Zeng Xingyang rushed at Randolph, Randolph felt the pressure and urgently passed the ball back to Conley.
Zeng Xingyang then quickly closed in on Conley, who kept the ball moving to Tony Allen in the corner on the other side.
When Tony Allen received the ball, the offensive time was running low, so he had no choice but to shoot in the face of Butler’s defense.
The shot was well off.
"Clang!"
The basketball was grabbed by Jokic.
The audience at the venue howled as the Nuggets’ defense succeeded once again.
Jokic dribbled to the frontcourt and passed to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang held the ball on the left side, and at this moment Butler suddenly made a backdoor cut to the basket, and Zeng Xingyang decisively passed the ball over.
Chandler Parsons was the one guarding Butler, and he clearly wasn’t as smart as Butler, who easily got rid of the defense and, after receiving the ball, made a flying layup.
to 12
The Grizzlies were in a very embarrassing situation.
The atmosphere in the arena continued to cheer.
At this moment, Conley stood up.
He dribbled low to the frontcourt, using Randolph and Little Gasol’s double screen on the left and right, nimbly shaking his body, and finally broke free from Zeng Xingyang’s shadowing defense.
Conley, holding the ball, decisively broke into the paint, and despite the long-arm interference of the defense, made a difficult three-step layup. The basketball traced an arc and finally fell into the net.
"Swish!"
The sound from the Nuggets fans on-site slightly diminished.
to 12.
Thanks to their scoring leader Conley, the Grizzlies finally scored.
But the Nuggets’ attack continued fast as lightning.
Just as Conley turned around, he saw Jokic raising his arms high, sending a long pass like an arrow to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang jumped high to catch the ball and launched a quick counterattack like a cheetah.
Only Tony Allen was back on defense, and his face was full of helplessness.
He knew in his heart that if Parsons and Randolph were there, maybe they could try to use their height and weight to stop Zeng Xingyang. But himself? Though known as a defensive warrior, what could he do at this moment to stop him?
"Bang!" Tony Allen gritted his teeth, extended his arm with all his strength, and reluctantly committed a foul.
He almost hung on Zeng Xingyang to barely drag him down.
Otherwise, Zeng Xingyang might have taken a big stride and dunked on him.
At the commentary desk, Zhang Weiping spoke with concern: "The Grizzlies are now in foul trouble, letting Zeng Xingyang cause this much damage, soon they’ll have no one left to use."
Xu Jicheng analyzed: "Although Xingyang is nominally a guard, when he charges in like this, there’s not much difference with James; he has very strong offensive capabilities, and the Grizzlies can’t stop his drives."
"Exactly, Xingyang can play from the 1 to the 3 position; his drives need someone to pay a price to be slightly limited," Zhang Weiping added with a smile.
...
In the first quarter, Zeng Xingyang played for 7 and a half minutes before sitting out.
He scored 12 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds.
The Grizzlies indeed had no answer for Zeng Xingyang.
If they didn’t double-team, he would single-handedly dominate as if there was no defense; if they double-teamed, the other Nuggets players weren’t pushovers either.
The result was that the Grizzlies were completely overwhelmed, and the players on the bench lost their momentum.
In the second quarter, when Zeng Xingyang returned, he continued to be a focal point on the court.
Jokic began to take on more of the organizing role, fully revitalizing the team’s offense.
Zeng Xingyang shot from the perimeter, hitting 2 three-pointers, 2 mid-range shots, all assisted by Jokic.
The defensive players of the Grizzlies were already giving their all, their jerseys soaked in sweat, but the Nuggets’ players always found the Grizzlies’ defensive weaknesses with surgical precision.
Butler also played a significant role, mostly avoiding three-point shots.
He often utilized his strong body to break in and draw fouls or, when double-teamed, timely passed the ball to open teammates, creating opportunities for them.
On the Nuggets bench, the players waved towels, cheering for the stunning teamwork on the court.
The Nuggets’ fans around the arena also became excited, as cheers and shouts rose and fell, as they finally experienced the sense of team synergy that comes with tactical cohesion, with every player shining in their area of expertise.
This kind of synergy wasn’t present last season.
After the first half, the Nuggets led by 20 points, with Zeng Xingyang scoring 22 points in the half.