Chapter 384: Chapter 296: Scoring 12 points in a row to seal the game—this is a superstar!
Coach Mike Malone on the sideline didn’t call a timeout, instead waving for the players to decide for themselves.
Time had already entered the last minute, with both Zeng Xingyang and Jokic on the court. Mike Malone trusted they knew how to play this out.
Zeng Xingyang got the ball and dribbled past half-court, then passed the ball with a bounce to Jokic on the right side of the free-throw line.
Jokic, at this time, did not trust anyone else. He was waiting for Zeng Xingyang to position himself.
Zeng Xingyang kept running back and cutting in. He looped around to the left side for a receiving opportunity, and Jokic quickly passed the ball.
At this moment, Ariza was on defense against Zeng Xingyang, his hand resting on Zeng Xingyang’s waist, not giving him a chance to simply shoot.
The crowd continuously booed, trying to disrupt Zeng Xingyang’s offense.
Seeing Ariza on Zeng Xingyang, Siakam wanted to screen to switch Harden onto defense, but Jokic shouted, "Spread out, give him space."
Jokic knew at this time to let Zeng Xingyang play it himself; a screen wasn’t necessary.
Upon hearing Jokic’s words, Siakam quickly moved away.
Zeng Xingyang probed with the ball, bending low while Ariza, eyes wide open, stayed focused, not daring to act rashly.
The Rockets also dared not easily double-team Zeng Xingyang, as all the Nuggets rookies had strong scoring abilities.
Moreover, Ariza was the best defender they had.
"Bang! Bang!" Zeng Xingyang started dribbling the ball.
Ariza’s defense truly had no major flaws, offering Zeng Xingyang little space for a shot or breakthrough.
At this moment, Jokic judged the timing was right and went forward for a screen.
"Bang!" Jokic’s sudden run-up stopped Ariza, and Howard was just a bit slow on the switch.
That slight opening was enough; Zeng Xingyang shifted rhythmically, gathering the ball for a quick three-point jump shot.
Howard scrambled to defend, stretching out his arm to block, but couldn’t touch the ball.
"Swish!"
to 126.
The crucial shot cleanly went in.
Zeng Xingyang placed his hand to his ear, listening to the cheers.
Siakam, Dejounte Murray, and Brogdon all looked dumbfounded.
Zeng Xingyang hadn’t scored much this quarter, but he came up with two critical shots now.
They all quickly shouted, celebrating wildly.
"Zeng Xingyang’s three-point shooting is so accurate!"
"Two consecutive threes, such smooth technique!"
"Jokic’s screen was perfectly timed; their cooperation was impeccable!"
"This game is so thrilling!"
Fans online screamed, flooding the comment sections.
The on-site fans were silenced, with only the Chinese fans exclaiming, their faces filled with pride.
On the court, once Harden crossed half-court, Zeng Xingyang quickly moved in for a steal.
Zeng Xingyang wanted to strip the ball from Harden, but with Harden’s solid dribbling skills, Zeng Xingyang couldn’t do it and ended up being passed.
Luckily, Brogdon quickly came up to cover, slowing down Harden.
Zeng Xingyang quickly assisted Brogdon in double-teaming Harden.
Harden passed the ball to Lawson on the other side.
Lawson was left open, but he didn’t shoot; instead, he aggressively drove forward, finding an open spot, and quickly went for a layup intending to finish. Siakam, however, came with strides at the last moment of Lawson’s layup.
"Wham!" Siakam completed the block.
Jokic secured the rebound.
"Rookie, nicely done." Jokic was very pleased with Siakam’s athletic ability.
Harrell swiftly held Jokic, fouling him as he passed the ball.
The foul count wasn’t high enough for free throws yet.
Jokic nearly passed it out again for Zeng Xingyang to lead a fast break.
Siakam panted heavily, having sprinted all out for that help defense.
This block finally made up for it.
seconds left.
At this moment, Mike Malone chose to call a timeout to emphasize the upcoming tactical arrangements and also to let Zeng Xingyang and Jokic catch their breath a bit.
"The Nuggets’ defense is truly impressive now!"
"These rookies have such strong defensive ability; it’s amazing!"
"The Nuggets’ management’s draft choices are definitely reliable, picking so many potential players!"
"These rookies have flaws, but they seize opportunities when it counts; they’re incredible!"
"This game is so exciting, both teams were determined in the key moments, but the Rockets seemed to fall just short, with Ariza and Lawson especially unstable except for Harden."
Fans online continuously commented on the game.
Clearly, this game had reached its most intense moment.
On the sideline, Mike Malone laid out the strategy: "Zeng, Nikola, still you two running the pick and roll. The others should be ready to support. If the time permits, don’t rush to shoot on your own, try to get the ball to Nikola and Zeng."
The initial instructions were for Zeng Xingyang and Jokic, with follow-ups for the rookies. These rookies were overly confident, and Mike Malone worried they’d act out. If anyone dared to act out, not following directions at crucial moments, Malone would teach them a lesson in the next game.
"Alright!"
"OK!"
The rookies all nodded.
Zeng Xingyang’s successive critical three-pointers had swung the game back in the Nuggets’ favor. The rookies might not respect Butler, but they certainly had no issue respecting Zeng Xingyang.
On the other side, the Rockets were also emphasizing defensive issues. McHale fully trusted his team’s defense. It wasn’t that their defense was poor, but the opponent’s offense was just monstrous.
Time-in.
Zeng Xingyang received the inbound pass, dribbling from the backcourt. He slightly slowed down the pace.
With 12 seconds left on the shot clock, Zeng Xingyang initiated the offense.
Zeng Xingyang called for a pick and roll with Jokic.
The pick and roll between Zeng Xingyang and Jokic was sharp because both were reliable finishers, making their pick and roll one of the Nuggets’ unsolvable bugs.
Ariza got screened, and Zeng Xingyang dribbled laterally.
Howard quickly switched to defend, and Zeng Xingyang raised the ball, quickly tapping it to the left with his right hand, then bent over to break through.
As Howard turned, Zeng Xingyang stepped back, shooting a three-pointer.
Harden struggled to get around the screen and rushed to defend.
After Zeng Xingyang released the shot, Harden bumped into him, knocking him over.
"Beep beep!!"
"Swish!"
And one!!
At this critical moment, Zeng Xingyang, under immense pressure, made his third three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
As Zeng Xingyang was knocked to the ground by Harden, Jokic and Siakam quickly came over to pull him up.
"Yeah!!!!" Everyone with the Nuggets roared.
...
This was an And-One that sealed the game.
With the Rockets executing another foul strategy on Zeng Xingyang, he wrapped up the team’s last 12 points.
Ultimately, the game ended with a score of 132 to 128.
Leading the Nuggets to win the game at the crucial moment, securing a 16-game win streak in the Nuggets’ new season opener!