Zeng Xingyang’s continuous dribbling between his legs, he was becoming increasingly confident in his ability to handle the ball and go one-on-one.
Plumlee’s footwork kept adjusting, somewhat unable to keep up.
Zeng Xingyang switched his rhythm repeatedly, easily throwing off Plumlee’s pace.
On the left side, Zeng Xingyang took a step forward, Plumlee shifted his weight to the left to follow, and Zeng Xingyang quickly stepped back, completely opening up the space between them.
Plumlee’s defense didn’t pressure Zeng Xingyang, making him very composed when stepping back.
Plumlee was a step too late when rushing forward.
Zeng Xingyang smoothly pulled off a jump shot.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc.
Zeng Xingyang hit his first three-pointer of the night.
Mike Malone vigorously pumped his fist and roared, "Well done!"
Initially, Mike Malone wasn’t particularly fond of Zeng Xingyang when he joined the team, as he wanted a point guard who could handle the ball.
But now he’s gradually being won over by Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang not only demonstrated his top-notch shooting skills but also developed some ball-handling offensive ability. The most crucial thing is that in almost every game, he makes an impact as long as he’s on the court.
No coach would refuse to have such a player on their team.
Kovan shouted, "Here we go, Zeng Xingyang sinks a crisp three-pointer over Plumlee, the rhythm on that shot was just outstanding, Plumlee couldn’t keep up at all."
Ma Jian shouted, "Beautiful, that’s solid fundamentals, Harkless was tough earlier, but it’s easier against a slower-footed center."
"Center killer, specifically targeting centers for mismatches, haha."
"Jokic really understands Yang, knows what he’s going to do."
"Yang is just too fierce, even if he didn’t make any in the first quarter, he’s still so confident in taking shots in the second."
"Very decisive, attacking decisively when there’s a mismatch, taking the shot decisively when open."
Fans online went crazy over this shot.
This was Zeng Xingyang’s first field goal of the night.
The atmosphere among the live audience simmered down a bit, and Blazers fans felt some frustration seeing Plumlee being outplayed by Zeng Xingyang.
Wasn’t that rookie supposed to have no ball-handling ability? How come he looks pretty good?
CJ McCollum dribbled past half-court.
With Lillard off the court, he’s the primary attacker.
After some passes on the perimeter, once the ball was returned to him, CJ McCollum faced off against Nelson and made a move to drive inside.
CJ McCollum’s absolute speed wasn’t fast, but his rhythm was great, leaving Nelson behind.
CJ McCollum drove to the free-throw line, not challenging Jokic inside, instead going for a step-back jump shot, which was his specialty.
Just as he was about to shoot, a silhouette flashed ahead of him.
Zeng Xingyang abandoned defending Harkless to assist against CJ McCollum.
His extremely long wingspan was a significant disruption to CJ McCollum.
The basketball traced another beautiful arc.
The basketball hit the rim heavily, bouncing high up.
Jokic securely protected the rebound.
Jokic dribbled the ball forward himself.
Zeng Xingyang often encouraged Jokic to do this, and over time, Jokic became more confident in handling the ball.
After Jokic reached the frontcourt, he passed the ball to Nelson on the right side, then looked for a position himself.
Nelson didn’t organize the play, returning the ball to Jokic, who was repositioned between the free-throw line and the three-point line.
Zeng Xingyang ran towards Jokic.
Jokic continued with a handoff and screen, with his broad frame delaying Harkless.
However, it wasn’t Plumlee who switched onto Zeng Xingyang; it was CJ McCollum.
Clearly, the Blazers realized Plumlee was weak on perimeter defense and easy to target.
CJ McCollum’s defensive pressure on Zeng Xingyang was moderate; his physical talent was just average, though his defensive attitude was excellent, sticking close to Zeng Xingyang persistently.
Zeng Xingyang began dribbling, and CJ McCollum kept disrupting his dribbling rhythm, not allowing him to get an easy shot.
At this moment, Galinarli came to set a screen.
CJ McCollum was delayed, and Ami Nu stepped up.
Zeng Xingyang seized the gap during their switch, changed direction, moving the ball from the left to the right, and sprinted forward.
Plumlee’s help defense inside blocked Zeng Xingyang’s shot space, with Jokic making a timely cut down the middle.
Zeng Xingyang passed the ball low to the trailing Jokic in stride, and Jokic strode forward for a close-range one-handed floater over Plumlee.
Plumlee couldn’t jump up to defend, only watching helplessly as Jokic floated the ball in.
The basketball was precisely thrown into the net.
This inside touch, even Zeng Xingyang envied it.
Jokic might not look strong, not like a super center, but he always managed to score with various techniques.
His offense had no weak spots.
Zeng Xingyang high-fived Jokic in celebration.
The Nuggets’ starters also cheered and encouraged, as Zeng Xingyang and Jokic, both rookies, played better and better on the court.
"Don’t let him penetrate so easily." Blazers’ coach Stotts shouted.
Although Stotts wasn’t known for his defensive strategies, he was displeased seeing his team unable to limit Zeng Xingyang, who was considered mediocre with the ball.
Even though the Blazers were leading by a lot, if the pace picked up, the opponents could quickly catch up.