"Haha, Charles, I want to ask, did Zeng conquer you tonight?" Smith asked Barkley with a laugh.
"Of course, didn’t you see my expression? I was completely blown away by Zeng’s performance. This guy is bound to become a superstar." Barkley said firmly.
"The Nuggets are likely to have someone who surpasses Carmelo Anthony," Reggie Miller said.
After Anthony left for the Knicks, the Nuggets were out of the mainstream media’s attention for a long time, but this season, with Zeng Xingyang’s strong performance, the media and commentators are turning their eyes back to the Nuggets.
Now the Nuggets are worth anticipating. They have a player worth paying attention to, and that’s the allure of having a core player to build the team around.
As long as Zeng Xingyang can grow steadily in the future, the Nuggets will be a team that people talk about for a long time.
Just like when James was selected by the Cavaliers and the Thunder picked Durant and Westbrook, a potential superstar is enough to keep the outside world interested.
"Hey, Scarlett, this game was worth coming to, wasn’t it?" Taylor Swift asked proudly.
Before the game, she had boasted to Scarlett about how amazing Zeng Xingyang was, and now he delivered such a performance.
"Of course, I’ll watch more Nuggets games when I have the time," Scarlett Johnson said.
"Zeng is so handsome and strong, but I wonder how he performs in bed?" Taylor Swift whispered.
Hearing this topic, Scarlett’s eyes sparkled as she whispered back, "If you want to know, you can try him out tonight."
"I’m not sure I have enough charm, but you could easily take him," Taylor Swift said, feeling a bit insecure as she glanced at Scarlett’s assertive assets below her neck.
The two American women privately chatted about all kinds of wild topics that the outside world would never know about.
At this moment, the fourth quarter of the game started.
The Clippers had played terribly with their second unit, so Rivers chose to continue having Paul lead the second unit.
See if there’s any chance to catch up.
The Nuggets maintained their normal rotation, letting Nurkic and Galinarli lead.
Compared to the starting lineup’s integrated offense and defense, the second unit leaned more towards half-court play, focusing more on inside plays.
With Paul leading, the Clippers’ second unit’s offense was organized, and they steadily chased the score. The score soon reached 84 to 90, with the Nuggets only ahead by 6 points. Mike Malone took a dead ball opportunity from the Clippers to sub Zeng Xingyang and Jokic back in.
The Clippers continued their offense.
With consecutive points closing the gap after the start of the fourth quarter, the Clippers saw hope.
Pope continued to chase Paul, who attempted a pick-and-roll but failed and had to pass the ball to Crawford.
Under Zeng Xingyang’s tight defense, Crawford’s crossovers did not create an opportunity.
Crawford passed the ball inside to Griffin.
Griffin posted up on Grant.
Griffin, using his weight advantage, slammed his way inside.
Zeng Xingyang knew Grant would struggle to defend Griffin, so he quickly moved to double team him.
Just as Zeng Xingyang anticipated, Griffin, after muscling in, spun and headed for the basket.
Griffin now had eyes only for the hoop, ignoring the open Crawford; he attempted a layup.
Just at the moment he released his layup, Zeng Xingyang arrived from behind.
Zeng Xingyang gave Griffin a spectacular block.
Even though Zeng Xingyang’s defense is excellent, such a chase-down block is rare; it mostly stemmed from Griffin being slightly slower in leap and explosiveness.
If this were during his peak, Zeng Xingyang rushing for additional defense might most likely have ended up as a poster for Griffin.
Jokic secured the rebound afterward.
Jokic brought the ball to the frontcourt.
Zeng Xingyang sprinted from beyond the three-point line to inside when he got an opportunity to receive the ball.
Jokic passed it to Zeng Xingyang, who caught it in motion and shot a mid-range jumper.
Paul jumped high to contest but unfortunately hit nothing.
A crisp sound of a ball through the net.
With that shot, the cheers in the arena continued to rise.
Zeng Xingyang continued to increase his personal score.
In his first play after coming in, Zeng Xingyang controlled the game for the Nuggets with a block on defense and a mid-range jumper on offense.
"Way to go, keep playing like that."
"Well done, awesome, awesome!"
"Eat, sleep, beat Paul."
The domestic fans were excitedly sending bullet comments.
The Clippers attacked again.
This time Paul tried to create opportunities but failed.
With only 6 seconds left on the shot clock, he found himself one-on-one against Zeng Xingyang.
No way to dish the ball, Paul decided to go for it himself.
Continuous crossovers.
Paul’s absolute speed wasn’t fast enough to shake off Zeng Xingyang, so he kept trying to find a rhythm difference.
But Zeng Xingyang stayed with him, stalking Paul like a shadow.
Out of options, Paul forced a sidestep to create space and took a long two-point jump shot from the right side.
Zeng Xingyang extended his long arms to contest.
Paul deliberately increased the arc.
The ball bounced out, with Little Jordan trying hard to jump for the offensive rebound, but Jokic firmly held his position and secured it.
Jokic didn’t slow down the game; he quickly dribbled forward into the frontcourt.
The Clippers quickly retreated on defense, but they didn’t get into position.
Zeng Xingyang accelerated on the right, and Jokic spotted the opportunity, sent a pass bouncing over.
Zeng Xingyang caught the ball about a meter outside the right three-point line.
Paul was still guarding him.
Zeng Xingyang didn’t hesitate, pulling up for a shot.
Paul raised his hand high to contest!!
With that shot, Paul also knocked Zeng Xingyang down.
The referee indicated the three-pointer was good, with an additional free throw.
Zeng Xingyang roared with both hands while lying on the floor.
After Zeng Xingyang and Jokic came back on, the Clippers were suppressed again.
Zeng Xingyang continued his personal scoring showcase, widening the score gap between the two teams again.
As soon as Zeng Xingyang got going, the other Nuggets players quickly found their touch again.
The Clippers tried to come back, but ultimately failed.
The game ended with a score of 108 to 118.
The Nuggets defeated the Clippers by 10 points.
Zeng Xingyang played 40 minutes, hitting 18 out of 29 shots, including 9 of 15 from three-point range, and 6 out of 7 free throws, racking up an all-around stat line of 51 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
Not only did he score the season’s first 50+, but he also broke his personal career-high.