George Karl’s goal was still to lift the players’ spirits and not let them give up easily.
The fourth quarter of the game.
Zeng Xingyang initially thought he wouldn’t be on the court, but Mike Malone signaled for him to be ready at any moment.
Mike Malone believed if Zeng Xingyang maintained his third-quarter offensive efficiency, the fourth quarter could be even crazier.
Rondo on the sidelines kept urging fans to cheer for the home team.
Even though they were far behind, they were still not giving up.
Rondo indeed knew how to motivate, as the King’s fans quickly came back alive with cheers.
Rondo, Cousins, and Guy were all on the court.
The first offensive play.
Rondo broke through with Cousins’ screen and then passed to Guy on the outside.
Guy received the ball, jumped up from the right side, and took the shot.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the King’s final stand pulled back some points against the Nuggets’ second lineup.
With 7 minutes and 25 seconds left in the game, the score was 107 to 90, and the gap was 17 points.
Mike Malone called a timeout and decisively sent Zeng Xingyang and Jokic back in.
It’s the Nuggets’ offense.
Zeng Xingyang advanced the ball forward.
The fans in the stands continuously sent booing. They still held a glimmer of hope for the game.
Once Zeng Xingyang reached the top of the arc, he controlled the rhythm, not rushing to attack.
If they just scored a few more, the opponent would have no chance.
The one defending Zeng Xingyang was Guy, and Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to Jokic, then ran off to position himself.
Jokic passed the ball to the cutting Pope.
Pope, finding no opportunity inside, ran back out and passed the ball back to Jokic.
Zeng Xingyang led Guy to the left side, as Jokic dribbled over for a hand-off, and then blocked Guy.
Cousins switched the defense.
Cousins spread his arms, lowered his center of gravity, and stared fiercely at Zeng Xingyang.
The shot clock had only 6 seconds left.
Zeng Xingyang began a series of crossover dribbles.
Seeing Zeng Xingyang about to go one-on-one, the fans were a bit anxious.
Every time Zeng Xingyang attacked, the efficiency was very high.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the left side, then crossed over to the right.
Zeng Xingyang kept stretching Cousins’ defense.
Cousins controlled his body well this time, not easily getting shaken off.
But his speed was still slightly slower.
Zeng Xingyang hovered the ball on the left, then slight delayed, crossing to the right.
Then, he took a step back to create space.
Stepping back, flicking the ball, shooting.
Cousins lunged forward.
But he couldn’t block Zeng Xingyang’s shot.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc.
The basketball sank into the hoop.
Zeng Xingyang scored decisively despite Cousins’ close defense.
"Defense? I don’t feel anyone defending me."
Zeng Xingyang provocatively nodded at Cousins.
Cousins’ anger reached its peak, but he clenched his fist and held back, not losing his temper.
Zeng Xingyang played this clean; if he lost his temper, it would be embarrassing.
"Facing Cousins’ defense, Xingyang shook him continously; oh, found the space, took a three-pointer, got it, well done, play him just like that."
"This shot was unreasonable, but this is Xingyang’s personal ability."
Coach Zhang excitedly said.
The cheering stopped, and this time, the King’s fans felt a sense of despair.
With Zeng Xingyang on the court, they had no breathing room.
Rondo dribbled to the frontcourt.
Both Guy and Cousins were being heavily guarded.
Rondo chose to pass the ball to McLemore, who ran free.
McLemore indeed got an open shot on the right side.
But it was obvious he was a bit tense.
The ball hit the hoop heavily and bounced out.
Jokic and Cousins were grappling under the basket.
Jokic firmly controlled the rebound.
Then Jokic dribbled himself and slowly pushed past half court.
Guy worked hard to stick close to Zeng Xingyang in the frontcourt.
Guy actually thought that he could pose a lot of threat to Zeng Xingyang in one-on-one defense.
It’s just that Zeng Xingyang often uses many screens on the court, making him very uncomfortable.
Sure enough, after Jokic came over, he continued to hand the ball to Zeng Xingyang, and then screened again.
This time, Rondo quickly came over from the right side to defend against Zeng Xingyang, directing Cousins to guard against Harris.
Seeing it was Rondo, Zeng Xingyang didn’t hesitate much and shifted the dribble to adjust a step.
He feigned a jump shot, and Rondo lunged forward.
But Zeng Xingyang executed a feint move so realistic it tricked Rondo into jumping, then exploded off the ground, completely bypassing him.
Zeng Xingyang broke through, took the initiative.
Koulistan came to help defend, but Zeng Xingyang in high speed changed direction from right to left, combining the ball to bypass Koulistan and took off.
With one hand gripping the ball, swung it and smashed hard.
The basketball got slammed into the hoop.
This dunk completely killed the game.
After completing the powerful dunk, Zeng Xingyang blew a kiss to the camera, then bumped chests in celebration with the incoming Harris.
George Karl once again called a halt to the match.
"Awesome, Zeng Xingyang is just aggressive."
"Scored over 50+ again tonight."
"The Kings’ defense was completely destroyed by Zeng Xingyang."
"Can’t be stopped, just can’t be stopped."
"I’m thoroughly convinced by Zeng Xingyang. How many times has this guy scored 50+ this season? It’s too crazy."
"After this game, Zeng Xingyang could break into the top five of the MVP rankings."
"This is the ability of a historic rookie, too exaggerated, like a warrior god."
"Points came easily as slicing through vegetables."
"East Jordan, West Xingyang, two super rookies clashing in history."
Fans on-site and online all were convinced by Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang got double-teamed, so he strengthened his passing.
The Nuggets’ offense wasn’t explosive, but suppressing the Kings’ counterattack wasn’t too problematic.
The score was fixed at 122 to 105.
The Nuggets defeated the Kings by a large margin away.
Zeng Xingyang scored 56 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers throughout the game!
Fans in China and the US flooded forums with messages after hearing the news!
They were all discussing tonight’s madness with the super rookie.
Major media reporters had prepared news content ahead of time.
"37 points in a single quarter ties the record, stunning with a 50+10 performance!"
"Zeng Xingyang raised the rookie capability ceiling once again, shining brightly on the court."
"Already locked in Rookie of the Year early, no one knows how dramatic his future will be."
"50+ double-double is just incredible, then there’s 37 points in one quarter."
"Zeng Xingyang replicates Thompson’s 37 points in a single quarter!!"
"This is the No. 7 pick, do the six teams ahead regret it?"
"Zeng Xingyang once again elevated his rookie season status through actual play."
"East Jordan, West Xingyang, the historical rookie layout is set."
"Zeng Xingyang’s average scoring surpasses Durant, reaching third in the West."
"In the MVP rankings, Zeng Xingyang should be in the top five!"
"Still the Kings, still 37 points in a single quarter, seems the Kings have a curse."
"God’s surname is Zeng tonight!!"
Domestic fans increasingly anticipate Zeng Xingyang.
Even Da Yao in his time did not bring such a shock as Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang shows he is different from many superstars.
Coach Zhang excitedly said: "Xingyang once again delivered one of the hallmark performances of his professional career. Of course, it’s not the first time he’s contributed such a superb performance, we often update our understanding of him."
"This match the Nuggets played smart, didn’t panic when faced with trouble, and stuck firmly to cooperation."
"Xingyang demonstrated very comprehensive scoring methods tonight, to guard against Xingyang scoring, the Kings used plenty of defensive strategies, but all were dismantled."
Coach Zhang was in a state of excitement all along.
Not sure how long since he’s been in such a state.
The Kings team walked back to the locker room dejectedly.
Tonight for the Kings, Cousins boasted 37 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists, a super luxurious stat-line, he dominated the paint.
But such stats did not play a pivotal role in the team’s win or loss.
Jokic acquired 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists, coordinating the whole team’s performance.
Many times Cousins’ playstyle is aggressively impressive himself, but doesn’t rally teammates, whereas Jokic’s style tends to share the spotlight with teammates.
Jokic had 8 assists directly given to Zeng Xingyang today, their cooperation was extremely smooth.