Chapter 405: Chapter 317: The Ultra-Luxurious Full Nuggets Lineup!
The spectators in the arena were stunned by Zeng Xingyang’s series of brilliant moves combined with a Euro step, and they all exclaimed in amazement.
Zeng Xingyang’s individual ability remains as strong as last season, bringing a tremendous sense of shock to everyone.
Barkley, sitting at the commentary table, smiled and said, "Zeng has too many one-on-one offensive methods, and it’s very difficult for KD to limit him."
He shook his head while praising Zeng Xingyang’s performance.
Smith also chimed in, "I love seeing this. Next, KD will definitely respond."
As the commentator said, Durant chose to respond.
He received the ball from the Warriors’ player on the left low post, took a dribble to the right, stopped, collected the ball, and then shot a jump shot.
The basketball drew an arc in the air and went through the net.
"Swish!"
to 24.
After scoring, Durant shouted at Zeng Xingyang with satisfaction, "You’re too short."
Zeng Xingyang kept a cold face, didn’t respond, quickly dribbled past, and directly called out for Durant’s defense.
Durant, not backing down, signaled Iguodala to move away, determined to defend Zeng Xingyang’s solo attempt.
At the top of the arc, Zeng Xingyang stood facing Durant, the atmosphere was tense.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled between his legs continuously, adjusting the rhythm, the basketball swiftly moved under his legs, making a "bang bang" sound. The spectators held their breath, watching this tense moment.
After two changes of direction, Zeng Xingyang suddenly sidestepped and collected the ball, disrupting Durant’s defensive rhythm, then quickly shot a jump shot.
It was a long-range three-pointer, one step beyond the three-point line.
Durant reacted quickly, trying hard to contest the shot, but couldn’t offer much interference.
The basketball beautifully arced through the air toward the hoop.
"Swish!" Another perfect shot!
to 24.
"You’re still not tall enough." Zeng Xingyang quickly retorted to Durant,
"Ha ha, this is good, these two going head-to-head." Barkley excitedly shouted from the commentary table.
"Awesome, keep playing like this." A Chinese fan on the sidelines jumped up excitedly, shouting loudly.
"Well done, great job."
"Xingyang’s individual ability is undeniably strong."
"So strong, so fierce."
"Superstars going head-to-head."
Fans watching the live broadcast both domestically and abroad were excited, discussing these two players’ outstanding performances wildly on social media, with comments and likes flooding in.
The Warriors’ offense launched again.
The fans at Oracle Arena stood up, loudly cheering for Durant, their voices merging into a powerful wave, as if trying to overturn the entire stadium.
Durant stood outside the right three-point line, once again challenging Zeng Xingyang one-on-one.
His eyes focused, staring intently at Zeng Xingyang, the basketball rhythmically bouncing in his hands.
He repeatedly shifted direction in front of his body, trying to find a breakthrough opportunity, the basketball collided with the ground, making a crisp "bang bang" sound. Then, he lunged to the right to break through Zeng Xingyang, using his body to barely push past him, accelerating towards the basket. Zeng Xingyang kept chasing closely, his eyes determined, unwilling to give up.
Durant took three steps, intending to dunk directly to release his inner anger.
However, this time he hadn’t completely shaken off Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang stepped back in pursuit and finally caught up in the last moment. He leaped up, raising his palm high, using all his strength to block the ball.
"Bang!" This block caused a stir in the arena.
The Nuggets’ bench players were proud of Zeng Xingyang’s spectacular performance.
The Warriors’ fans, on the other hand, wore disappointed expressions and sighed collectively.
"Ah!!!"
After landing, Zeng Xingyang was full of excitement, shouting at Durant, "Your offense is softer than a cake."
Hearing this, Durant’s face turned even gloomier, his inner fury burning even stronger.
The Warriors’ offense initiated again.
This time Green passed the ball to Iguodala in the corner.
Iguodala received the ball, quickly adjusted his posture, and shot a three-pointer.
The basketball arced through the air toward the hoop.
"Clang!"
The basketball struck the rim heavily and bounced off.
Siakam reacted swiftly, leaped up high, grabbed the rebound, and then quickly passed it to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the frontcourt.
This time it was Iguodala who came to defend him, clearly, the Warriors wanted to actively end this matchup between Zeng Xingyang and Durant.
But Zeng Xingyang wasn’t going to let Durant off so easily, he continued to call on Siakam to come up for a screen.
Siakam stepped up, blocked Green, and then Zeng Xingyang quickly raced past, charging towards Durant.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
There was intense physical confrontation between the two.
"Beep beep!!" The referee quickly blew the whistle, calling a blocking foul on Durant.
Zeng Xingyang earned a trip to the free-throw line.
Zeng Xingyang steadily made both free throws.
to 24
Under Zeng Xingyang’s leadership, the Nuggets gained an advantage by the end of the first quarter.
At the beginning of the second quarter, both Zeng Xingyang and Durant were substituted off for a rest.
Both teams sent out all-bench lineups for the confrontation.
The Nuggets’ bench lineup’s offensive power made Cole feel quite embarrassed.
Whether it was Brogdon or Dejounte Murray, they both had the strong capability to initiate an offense. Additionally, with Butler’s leadership, the Nuggets’ defense was not weak either.
In contrast, on the Warriors’ side, their offense primarily relied on Livingston’s low-post play.
And both Green and Iguodala’s performances were average today, which led to the Nuggets’ bench gradually widening the score gap.
At 7 minutes and 23 seconds into the second quarter, Cole reluctantly called a timeout.
At this point, the score had reached 42 to 31, with the Nuggets having gained an 11-point lead.
The fans at Oracle Arena were utterly silent, showing disappointment on their faces.
The atmosphere on site became very oppressive, as if one could hear a pin drop.
The Warriors fans could not fathom how the Nuggets had become so strong.
The Nuggets appeared to be overpowering them with strength, not merely hot shooting or luck.
Everyone could see that the Warriors desperately wanted to win, but their offense consistently struggled to break the Nuggets’ defense. Moreover, the Nuggets’ bench, which was seen as a weak point last season, had transformed this season.
The Nuggets’ group of rookies were starving for the game, filled with immense desire.
Dejounte Murray and Siakam’s mid-range shots were precise; as soon as the Warriors’ players gave them any space, they would score, causing a headache for the Warriors’ defenders.
There’s also Brogdon, who, although appearing to be an unremarkable small guy, had a potent offense with the ball, easily getting to the basket to score.
Unlike the Warriors’ reliance on three-pointers, the Nuggets’ offense consisted of many mid-range and cutting plays.
They had many players skilled at pull-up jumpers, posing significant challenges to the Warriors’ defense.
This wasn’t about the Warriors’ defense being ineffective; it was that the Nuggets players’ individual skills were too strong.
When players like Brogdon and Green were matched up, Brogdon often had a good chance to beat Green off the dribble.
The Nuggets players were incredibly strong in one-on-one situations.
This posed major problems for the Warriors’ defense, as they were constantly scrambling to cover!
Zhang Weiping sat in the commentary booth and analyzed, "The Warriors became very strong after acquiring Durant, but the Nuggets can’t be overlooked either. The current Nuggets are completely different from last season; they have the deepest roster in the league."
Yu Jia also sighed beside him, "It does appear that way; the Nuggets’ 15-man roster can all contribute effectively." The two exchanged a glance, full of admiration for the Nuggets’ performance tonight.
The Warriors will find it very difficult to stop the Nuggets’ winning streak!