The Warriors’ offense remains sharp. Iguodala seized the open space, decisively driving in with the ball.
The Nuggets’ defense contracted, and Iguodala flicked the ball to Thompson at the corner.
Thompson’s corner three-pointer was released.
The basketball drew a beautiful arc.
After Nelson brought the ball to the frontcourt, he wanted to pass it to Jokic.
But the pass was too obvious, directly intercepted by Iguodala.
After Iguodala’s steal and fast break to the frontcourt, he executed a one-man fast-break tomahawk slam.
Nelson was gasping for air; he was struggling to keep up with this intensity.
Mike Malone decided to let Barton head to the scorer’s table to replace Nelson.
Nuggets’ offense was up again.
The Warriors’ defensive intensity remained high. Zeng Xingyang received the ball, attempting a quick dribble past the half-court, but Iguodala fiercely blocked him.
Iguodala committed a blocking foul.
Barton came on to replace Nelson.
Mike Malone signaled for Zeng Xingyang to play point guard.
Jokic passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang.
Dribbling up, facing Iguodala’s defense, there was no opening for an outside attack.
Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to the approaching Jokic and then ran towards Barton.
Barton and Zeng Xingyang crossed positions, with Iguodala and Curry switching defense.
Zeng Xingyang directly moved Curry to the left low post.
Jokic lobbed the ball to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang turned sideways to face Curry, feinting front and back.
Without complex tactics, Zeng Xingyang bumped Curry sideways and immediately did a fade-away jump shot.
Zeng Xingyang had immense confidence in his shooting, and the defensive pressure from Curry was rather minimal.
Though Curry tried hard for a closeout, Zeng Xingyang was largely undisturbed.
If it had been Iguodala defending against Zeng Xingyang, he wouldn’t play that way.
Because Zeng Xingyang’s core strength and bounce were not particularly advantageous, neither was his fade-away height comparable to Kobe or Jordan.
He could only bully someone like Curry.
Curry bit his mouthguard fiercely, understanding that his opponent was capitalizing on a height advantage for shooting, yet he was helpless.
Warriors fans watched this scene feeling quite speechless.
Just picking on the elementary school kid, huh?
Zeng Xingyang’s shots were too easy; his release height left Curry helpless.
Fortunately, the Warriors responded swiftly on offense.
Thompson initially moved from the left corner along the inside, then suddenly shifted to the left 45-degree angle.
Green and Iguodala set screens consecutively, creating an opening for him.
Barnes passed him the ball, and Thompson caught and shot.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc.
Thompson was like a shooting machine, silently racking up points.
Zeng Xingyang brought the ball across half-court.
Though Iguodala’s defense was strong, he couldn’t easily strip Zeng Xingyang of the ball.
After crossing half-court, Zeng Xingyang passed to Jokic, then continued to position himself.
Jokic passed the ball to Barton, and then went to screen for Zeng Xingyang without the ball.
Zeng Xingyang, like a fish, continuously swam between the inside and outside lines.
Barton, after shaking off Curry with multiple direction changes, broke through to the right and then dished to Zeng Xingyang.
Barton slowed down Thompson’s chase, switching Curry on defense again.
Same position, same attack stance as before.
Seeing Zeng Xingyang matched up with Curry again, the Warriors and their fans felt a collective shiver.
Zeng Xingyang’s ball-handling wasn’t top-notch, but he was just perfectly countering Curry’s defense.
Facing Curry, Zeng Xingyang jab-stepped, a fake move.
Curry was completely tricked, while Zeng Xingyang dribbled with a right step, adjusting.
Sudden stop, mid-range shot.
The rhythm of this shot was excellent, as Curry’s hand reached Zeng Xingyang’s face but didn’t disrupt his flow.
The Warriors’ offense was relentless, always in pursuit, but the Nuggets weren’t just surrendering.
Zeng Xingyang scored in two consecutive possessions against Curry.
From Zeng Xingyang’s perspective, Curry’s defense was full of gaps, lacking height, athletic ability, long reach, or vertical leap...
"Xingyang is relentlessly attacking Curry."
"Curry can’t stop Xingyang."
"Honestly, looking at this defensive lineup, Xingyang can only exploit Curry in one-on-one situations."
"His shooting is too steady, and Curry’s a defensive liability."
Fans watching on Penguin Sports continued spamming the comments.
The Warriors were on offense again.
This time, Curry used Green’s pick to break through, maneuvering around Jokic and Zeng Xingyang’s defenses for a layup.
Zeng Xingyang found Curry’s offense equally tricky.
While it’s evident Curry’s three-pointers are lethal weapons, it’s worth pointing out that Curry doesn’t just shoot threes — his dribble drives are equally powerful offensive tools.
Directed by Jokic, Zeng Xingyang found another chance for a left low post one-on-one against Curry.
Zeng Xingyang leaned on Curry, ball in hand, testing front and back.
This time, Green didn’t let Zeng Xingyang get a chance for another isolation, instead decisively double-teaming him.
At this moment, Barton cut inside, and Zeng Xingyang dished the ball low to Barton.
Green tried to recover on defense but lost his position.
Barton charged, leapt, grabbed the ball mid-air, and executed a reverse layup under the basket, evading Iguodala’s defense.
Barton and Zeng Xingyang may not get along off the court, but on the court, their play was in sync, demonstrating instinctive basketball technical cooperation.