New Orleans Arena, the game is about to start soon.
The venue is unusually packed with local fans for this match.
The main reason is the intense pre-game atmosphere between the fans of both sides. Zeng Xingyang, a rising superstar in the league, has many people wanting to watch him.
The Pelicans’ starting lineup is: Holiday, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Anthony Davis, Asik.
Davis is 2.08 meters tall, and Asik is 2.13 meters tall. The Pelicans’ twin towers have enough height.
However, Asik’s form has declined significantly compared to last season, and his playing time has also decreased a lot this season.
Peguin Sports still has Wang Meng and Kovan commentating on this game.
The game began with the Nuggets’ perimeter defense being excellent. Tyreke Evans’ attempts to break through Pope, Zeng Xingyang, and Harris were unsuccessful, and Davis, usually fierce inside, found himself intimidated by Jokic and could only resort to jump shots from outside.
Scoring was difficult for the Pelicans, but the Nuggets’ offense wasn’t much better either.
Both teams employed twin-tower tactics, further congesting the space, and with the Pelicans’ defense extending outwards, Zeng Xingyang was suddenly under immense pressure, facing double-teams from the Pelicans.
Then Nurkic repeatedly asked for low-post plays, but with Asik’s weight advantage, it wasn’t easy for him, leading to either being defended against or making some basic errors.
In the first few minutes, the Nuggets could rely on defense to tug at the opponents, but as the Pelicans managed to draw fouls from various positions, getting to the free-throw line, they gradually took control of the game.
The Nuggets’ players were decent in one-on-one defense, but once they needed to cooperate as a team, various small gaps began to appear.
Eric Gordon gradually found his rhythm, starting to hit some difficult three-pointers from the outside.
Zeng Xingyang knew Round-faced Deng’s offense was potent; this guy was incredibly versatile on the offensive end and even became the team’s best sixth man during his time with the Rockets. Besides Harden, he had the strongest self-initiated offensive capability in the Rockets.
Harris felt stifled, as if he defended too close, Gordon could easily pass him, and if he pursued, it was easy to commit fouls.
After half a quarter, the score reached 4 to 13, and the Nuggets found it hard to score as visitors.
Mike Malone was forced to call a timeout.
"What the hell, what’s with the Nuggets’ lineup, so trashy."
"The inside is so crowded, no way to cut through."
"This Nurkic is really not up to the mark."
"The system and tempo are all messed up."
"Mike Malone is losing it again, what’s with the twin towers, just cut it out."
Nuggets fans began to berate Mike Malone.
Mike Malone dared not attempt the twin-tower lineup any longer, quickly subbing out Nurkic and bringing in Jerami Grant, repositioning Jokic as the center.
Zeng Xingyang wasn’t very optimistic about Mike Malone’s twin-center tactics.
Although Nurkic is a decent center, that’s all there is to it. He is practically the only player who can’t fit with Jokic.
After all, when he’s on the court with Jokic, space becomes too limited, making it tough for forwards and guards to penetrate, and Nurkic’s playing style is more about having the ball, not so good at catching passes, or sharing the ball, which significantly hinders Jokic’s performance.
But Zeng Xingyang didn’t have sufficient reason to convince Malone to abandon this tactic, so he could only let time prove it.
The camera focused on Zeng Xingyang, the team’s go-to guy when in need of troubleshooting.
Once Nurkic was off the court, the Nuggets’ offense quickly improved.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic executed the pick-and-roll effectively, making the team’s offense smoother, relying on their pick-and-roll plays.
Zeng Xingyang signaled for Pope to defend Round-faced Gordon.
Gordon, feeling good, attempted to single out Pope, but he underestimated Pope’s defensive abilities.
Pope, with quick foot movements, strong physical confrontation, and a clear defensive awareness, could stick close to any guard without losing position, facing taller forwards without fear.
Pope had a clear mind; he could anticipate opponents’ moves and react in time. These traits made his defense particularly tough.
With Pope containing Gordon, the Nuggets began to catch up in scoring.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 19 to 19.
The Nuggets had caught up.
Peguin Sports’ live broadcast room.
Wang Meng said, "Ball possession must be in the hands of Jokic and Zeng Xingyang, let the two of them collaborate, this is the foundation for the Nuggets’ survival, Coach Malone shouldn’t mess around."
Kovan said, "Zeng Xingyang faced very apparent targeting this game, with Holiday’s defense significantly disrupting his offense, but Zeng has been playing calmly, not forcing his way but maintaining patience throughout."
Wang Meng said, "With Nurkic off the court, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic immediately felt liberated, with a substantial increase in their efficiency, allowing others to relax a bit more."
Kovan said, "The Nuggets are getting better; newcomers Pope and Grant have also shown strong defensive value on the court; in the first half, they managed to hold Gordon down, who didn’t make any successful shots in the second half, while Grant also got a block on Asik."
The camera now zeroed in on Gordon, breathing heavily, shocked at Pope’s strong defense, making it hard for him to attack.
On the Nuggets’ bench, Zeng Xingyang came over to high-five Pope in celebration, "Man, great defense, keep it up."
Gordon attempted screens to shake off Pope but to no avail, continuously being bypassed or squeezed through, unable to find space.
Zeng Xingyang thought that if Pope used such defense on him, he’d also have a tough time.
Pope nodded seriously; having his defense acknowledged by Zeng Xingyang was a reason for joy.
It wasn’t just Gordon feeling frustrated on the Pelicans’ side; Anthony Davis was also quite disheartened.
Facing Jokic for the majority of the time, Anthony Davis had no solutions.
Couldn’t move him upon collision and occupied a large space, whether in ball-handling or bursting through.
When it came to shooting, he disrupted Davis’s rhythm.
After playing the first quarter, Anthony Davis scored only 1 point, courtesy of a free throw.
Considering he averaged 25 points a season, facing Jokic tonight, it was genuinely tough for him.
Zeng Xingyang also observed Anthony Davis’s predicament, chuckling away.
Jokic is truly the nemesis of Anthony Davis.
It seems these two were born arch rivals.
As the second quarter began, the Nuggets’ second unit was led by Nelson and Nurkic.
On the Pelicans’ side, it was Tyreke Evans and Asik leading.
Enter the second lineup and Tyreke Evans became lively again, continuously utilizing Asik’s screens to charge in and score.
If meeting double-teams in the paint, he’d pass the ball to the outside for Ryan Anderson to attempt a three-pointer.
Ryan Anderson is a quintessential big man shooter, at a towering 2.08 meters, his career three-point percentage is an impressive 38%.
Zeng Xingyang remembered this guy also carved out a niche with the Rockets, landing a hefty contract to then settle down.
His three-point shooting style was highly compatible with the Rockets, albeit his defense couldn’t match up, leading to his marginalization in later stages.
Once he entered the game, he found it easy against the Nuggets’ second unit, sinking two successive three-pointers.
The combined scoring of Tyreke Evans and Ryan Anderson gave the Pelicans a foothold in the game.
Four minutes into the game, the score reached 25 to 30, with the Pelicans leading by 5 points.