After probing back and forth, Barnes chose to spin and take the ball down.
At the moment Barnes took his first dribble, Zeng Xingyang decisively stepped in to cut the ball.
The basketball was slapped away instantly.
Barnes has some ability to play one-on-one with the ball, but he was a bit too careless against Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang’s defense is solid, his hands are fast, and if you’re not careful, he’ll steal the ball.
After Zeng Xingyang knocked the ball away, it was controlled by Jokic.
Green tried to steal it back, only to crash into Jokic.
The referee decisively called a foul on Green.
Zeng Xingyang successfully defended against Barnes in a one-on-one.
The Nuggets substitutes on the sidelines were all excitedly jumping up and down.
Reorganizing, Galinarli directly passed the ball to Jokic.
Green was watching Jokic.
Jokic dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to Zeng Xingyang, who was circling out to the top of the arc.
Zeng Xingyang didn’t plan to go one-on-one against Barnes’ defense.
Barnes also stood in front of Zeng Xingyang giving him due respect, not daring to leave Zeng Xingyang open.
Galinarli and Nelson spread out in both corners.
It was time for the twin stars to perform.
The Warriors’ defense is top-notch. If they played a standard pick-and-roll, whether squeezing through or switching, it would be difficult for Zeng Xingyang to find a gap.
Jokic positioned himself outside the three-point line, facing Barnes, pretending to come forward for a screen. Green stuck to Jokic, ready to switch defense at any time.
Zeng Xingyang then bent low and dribbled crosscourt, taking a big crossover step, exerting force with his right foot while placing the ball, to quickly explode forward for a fake breakthrough move.
Jokic moved forward without setting the right-side screen, positioning himself to the left and ready to continue screening.
Green, seeing that Jokic didn’t block, habitually shrunk toward the inside line.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled with his left hand, followed by a shoulder feint, faking a half-turn, eyes fixed on the left as if planning to break through that side.
Barnes continuously positioned to block the left-side breakthrough, he was successfully misled by Zeng Xingyang.
Jokic knew what Zeng Xingyang intended to do, he continued adjusting his position waiting.
Zeng Xingyang turned to the right, Barnes tried to follow, and was solidly blocked.
Zeng Xingyang did an inside step with the ball on the right side and then took a hop stop.
At the top arc beyond the three-point line, he drew the bow and shot again!
Green, who had shrunk in, hadn’t reacted yet, and Zeng Xingyang’s three-pointer was executed with precision.
The Oracle Arena went silent immediately.
Zeng Xingyang raised three fingers to celebrate as he returned to defense.
Zeng Xingyang could feel it, his touch tonight was scorching hot!
As long as he had the chance, it would go in.
Curry quickly dribbled past mid-court and called the timeout.
Green was frustrated yet had no solutions.
Walton calmly watched the scene and remained unperturbed.
The game had just begun; what’s a 6-point deficit?
"Harrison, what happened? How did you let him get that shot so easily?" Walton asked.
In the consecutive three opening rounds, Zeng Xingyang either assisted or continuously hit three-pointers, and Barnes even made a turnover, completely overshadowed by Zeng Xingyang.
Facing a rookie, this starting small forward seemed very frustrated.
"Sorry, my mistake. He has many screens, you guys need to switch up in time too." Barnes explained helplessly.
Barnes was having a hard time, Jokic constantly screening around him, keeping Zeng Xingyang in the rhythm.
If it were one-on-one, he had some confidence to limit Zeng Xingyang, but with screens, it was really tough.
"Later on, switch faster, or I’ll just go defend that rookie myself." Green stood out, biting his lip and volunteering.
"If you get pulled out, what about the inside? Don’t rush, stick to the pre-game strategies." Walton still refused Green.
Walton didn’t continue to blame the players. The Warriors seemed a bit relaxed today, having won so many games in a row, their thirst for victory was noticeably less than the opponent’s.
"Now the opponent’s strategy revolves around those two rookies. Zeng specializes in finding open shots to hit threes from outside, and that big guy coordinates well; they frequently run pick-and-rolls. We need to break their connection." Walton emphasized on the tactical board.
Mike Malone stood in the center of the players, redrawing tactics.
The game began with tactics revolving around Zeng Xingyang and Jokic’s pick-and-roll succeeding significantly.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic didn’t disappoint him, successfully executing three attacking rounds, forcing the opponent to pause.
Mike Malone could foresee that next, the Warriors’ defensive tactics would revolve around breaking the pick-and-roll tactics of these two.
Next, Zeng Xingyang could be the firepower decoy while Jokic coordinated to activate others.
This game was not only a battle between players but also a clash between two coaches.
Barkley shouted, "The Nuggets scored in their first three rounds, showing strong desire to win. Clearly, Zeng Xingyang wants to stop the losing streak."
O’Neal said, "The desire to win is an instinct for players, much like how every NBA player craves a championship. However, many desire it but can’t achieve it, which relates to a player’s capability."
Barkley rolled his eyes, not taking the bait.
Soon, the on-court timeout ended.
The Warriors’ offense.
Curry dribbled to the frontcourt, passing it to Green, who came out to meet the ball.
Green looked for teammates, while the Nuggets dared not relax on their defense against the Warriors’ perimeter, expanding their defensive line significantly.