touchnovel Chapter 485 - 397: Gunning for 60+ Points?
Chapter 485 - 397: Gunning for 60+ Points?
Coach Zhang really likes this style of play, which means Zeng Xingyang can score a lot, and it also makes the stats look impressive.
Domestic fans also love seeing Zeng Xingyang play like this.
They are eager to see how many points Zeng Xingyang can rack up tonight.
After the Nuggets became stronger, Zeng Xingyang’s high-scoring performances became less frequent.
Primarily because the team doesn’t need Zeng Xingyang to score that much to win games.
The Nuggets need Zeng Xingyang more for executing crucial plays and organizing the offense.
The Rockets are on the attack.
After a series of passes, the ball quickly returns to Paul’s hands.
Zeng Xingyang continues to defend Harden, and Paul drifts away from his defender Brogdon to the other side to avoid Zeng Xingyang’s help defense.
Capela continues to set screens for Paul.
After the screen, there’s a switch.
Jokic switches onto Paul.
Compared to last season’s playoffs, Jokic has gained a bit of weight.
This isn’t noticeable against other teams, but against the Rockets, it becomes apparent.
Both Paul and Harden can easily get past him.
This time Paul gets past Jokic from the left and follows up with a stop-and-pop mid-range shot.
"Swish!"
Easily slips past and scores.
Jokic raises his hands helplessly.
Now, he’s not afraid of hard physical battles, but he’s really annoyed by these small guards weaving through.
He can’t engage them, nor can he stop them, which is frustrating.
But quickly, Zeng Xingyang strikes again.
After dribbling past half-court, Zeng Xingyang first passes the ball to Jokic in the low post.
Jokic keeps Capela behind him and starts a post-up move.
Capela’s body is relatively weak and has little to counter Jokic’s post-up.
Jokic bulldozes in step by step, at this moment, Zeng Xingyang makes a backdoor run and shakes off Paul.
Paul loses his position and tries desperately to catch up to Zeng Xingyang.
"Nikola!"
"Nikola!"
"Here, he can’t guard me."
Zeng Xingyang shouts while cutting in, mainly because Jokic is absorbed in his post moves.
Upon seeing, Jokic quickly delivers a high pass to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang catches the ball and shoots high above.
He powerfully makes contact with Paul as he drives.
"Bang!"
Zeng Xingyang effortlessly scores inside again.
Zeng Xingyang’s touch is hot.
Zeng Xingyang doesn’t necessarily need to handle the ball to score; he can also score with off-ball movements.
This kind of off-ball catch and score makes it easier for him.
"Beautiful teamwork, Jokic assists Zeng Xingyang to score again."
"The pass and cut are perfectly in sync."
D’Antoni is quite speechless at the Nuggets’ seamless coordination, making their defense even more challenging.
But fortunately, D’Antoni has never been a coach who counts on defense to win games.
To win, you just need to outscore your opponent.
On the court, Harden quickly received instructions.
After dribbling past half-court, they run a pick-and-roll.
Capela comes up.
Capela fails to block Zeng Xingyang.
This time Harden is very patient and continues to play the screen.
But it’s a horns play.
Tucker and Capela come up together to trap Zeng Xingyang.
Gordon and Jokic also come up together.
Harden uses a change of pace, bursting through the middle of the two, and at the basket, Harden makes a flying layup, scoring firmly.
The Nuggets’ offensive play
Zeng Xingyang dribbles to the frontcourt, and against Paul, continues to create spacing.
At this point, the Rockets realize what will happen if they let Zeng Xingyang continue, and they start to double team.
Harden comes over, trying to block Zeng Xingyang.
Without any hesitation, before the ball comes, Zeng Xingyang decisively swings the ball to the right to Brogdon.
Brogdon is in absolute space and makes a clean shot.
"Swish!"
As long as they double-team Zeng Xingyang, the Nuggets’ perimeter will make them pay.
"Assisted by Zeng Xingyang, Brogdon hits the three-pointer," Zhang Weiping exclaimed excitedly.
Brogdon’s three-point shooting percentage is as high as 40%, much better than Butler’s barely passing rate, and he can relieve some pressure off Zeng Xingyang on the court.
As long as the Nuggets’ perimeter can shoot, the Rockets will hesitate a bit to double-team Zeng Xingyang.
Harden feels a bit bewildered and frustrated on the court.
However, next, Harden, like Zeng Xingyang, uses his personal threat to create opportunities.
Harden slings the ball to Paul on the perimeter.
At this point, Zeng Xingyang, having gone to double team Harden, has lost his defensive position.
Paul confidently takes a three-point shot.
Caught and released.
"Swish!"
Thus, due to the head-to-head clash between Zeng Xingyang and Paul, Harden drags the score into a tug-of-war.
Although their offense doesn’t score every time, it’s highly efficient.
In the absence of Butler, the Nuggets’ defense shows gaps.
Butler’s influence isn’t so noticeable in lower-tier games, but in high-tier matches, his defense is significant for the Nuggets’ perimeter.
Brogdon’s offense is good, but he can’t handle Paul and Harden defensively.
Now, this pair’s coordination and partnership have reached insane levels; both are smart and know not to challenge Zeng Xingyang one-on-one, but to avoid him instead.
They always find the most suitable offensive opportunities.
As the third quarter is about to end, the score is 112 to 105, with the Nuggets leading by 7 points on the road.
By the end of the third quarter, Zeng Xingyang has scored 45 points.
Zeng Xingyang was in full force in the third quarter, elevating the Nuggets’ offensive efficiency to a terrifying level.
At the start of the last quarter, Zeng Xingyang rests off-court while Jokic leads the second unit.
Without Butler, Mike Malone often arranges it this way.
On the Rockets’ side, it’s Harden leading the team; D’Antoni isn’t as scrupulous, and this game leans heavily on Harden.
Both teams are playing fiercely, but they are evenly matched.
Jokic’s ability to lead is also top-notch, and the team plays smoothly around him.
Zeng Xingyang returns to the game with 9 minutes and 12 seconds left.
Zeng Xingyang continues the killer mode once he’s back.
After a pick-and-roll with Jokic, Zeng Xingyang executes a stop-and-pop mid-range.
Zeng Xingyang finds an opportunity in the low post to back down Paul, flipping towards a fadeaway shot and scores.
Jokic completes a block on Capela under the basket, and then makes an outlet pass to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang drives against Paul’s defense and dunks steadily.
"Zeng Xingyang is in full force, he’s going crazy, he’s bringing out all his weapons."
"The Almighty Warrior, that’s Zeng Xingyang right now."
Zhang Weiping and Xu Jicheng in the CCTV booth are extremely excited.
If this trend continues, Zeng Xingyang is likely to have another 60+ point night tonight!
They haven’t seen such a sight in a long time and they are eager for it to happen!