This allows him not to have to engage in traditional inside brawls to score.
Porzingis doesn’t like the roughness of inside scoring brawls.
As long as he’s accurate, it’s not soft.
New York fans clearly have a preference for Porzingis. When he scored his first basket, the atmosphere in the arena exploded instantly.
Grant patted his chest, raising his hand to indicate it was his fault. He was too relaxed on defense.
Obviously, he will face more challenges tonight.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled past midcourt, closely guarded by Anthony.
Anthony wasn’t pressing tightly but was using his body to apply pressure.
Anthony bumped into Zeng Xingyang, but the referee didn’t call it. Zeng Xingyang quickly changed direction, accelerated, and bypassed Anthony.
Then Calderon came over to help defend.
The Knicks were giving Zeng Xingyang a lot of attention on defense today.
Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to Jokic and then started to move.
The Knicks players were clearly unprepared for Zeng Xingyang’s off-ball movement.
Jokic held the ball at the top and Zeng Xingyang cut inside. Jokic passed the ball in.
Zeng Xingyang caught the ball and quickly made a floater.
Robin Lopez jumped up but couldn’t reach the basketball.
Zeng Xingyang’s off-ball positioning was very sharp, easily tearing apart the defense.
Calderon dribbled to the front court.
Calderon is a veteran, mainly organizing the offense, occasionally shooting an open three-pointer.
His impact on both ends of the floor wasn’t that noticeable.
Calderon passed the ball to Anthony on the right side beyond the three-point line.
Zeng Xingyang went directly to defend Anthony, who was holding the ball and making jab steps.
Zeng Xingyang’s center of gravity didn’t shift much. Anthony made a step to the right, and Zeng Xingyang quickly turned to chase.
Anthony slowed down, gathered the ball, and made a sudden jump stop.
Zeng Xingyang quickly braked and jumped to contest.
He was still a bit slow. Anthony seized the opportunity and took the shot.
The basketball drew a beautiful arc.
"Rookie, you can’t stop me." Anthony, after scoring, quickly started to boast, nodding provocatively at Zeng Xingyang.
The cheers at Madison Square Garden came wave after wave.
"So weak, where’s the defense, can’t stop him!"
"Cameron will crush you."
Home fans were happy to see Anthony successfully playing solo against Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang ignored Anthony’s provocation and ran towards the front court.
Grant passed the ball to Jokic.
Jokic dribbled quickly past midcourt.
Zeng Xingyang, not anxious about failing to guard some plays, knew the Nuggets were stronger than the Knicks.
Jokic reached the frontcourt and handed the ball to Zeng Xingyang, followed by setting a screen.
Calderon was blocked by Jokic, while Anthony went over to defend Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang took Anthony to the right side, and players from both teams instinctively cleared the space.
Anthony clapped his hands, shouting to Zeng Xingyang, "Come on, rookie, don’t hide!"
Anthony’s defense, even at his peak, was average, let alone now.
Zeng Xingyang didn’t feel much pressure at all.
Continuous changes of direction and pull.
Anthony continuously adjusted his defensive footwork.
In Zeng Xingyang’s dribbling, he found a gap, accelerated from the left side, and charged in.
Anthony was bypassed again, Porzingis worried about Zeng Xingyang’s floater and quickly came over to help, but Zeng Xingyang bypassed him with a Eurostep.
Gathered the ball, stepped to the basket for an easy layup.
In these two possessions, the Knicks didn’t put much defensive pressure on Zeng Xingyang; he attacked the basket effortlessly both times.
This time, Anthony was still actively asking for the ball. Calderon and Porzingis’ pick-and-roll separated the ball.
Anthony got the ball and made a fake move, trying to lure Zeng Xingyang into jumping.
Zeng Xingyang stayed glued to Anthony.
Anthony opted to dribble a step to the right and took a forced jump shot against Zeng Xingyang’s defense.
Zeng Xingyang contested.
The basketball hit the rim heavily and bounced up.
Porzingis wanted to charge in for the rebound but was boxed out by Jokic.
Jokic firmly secured the ball.
Compared to Jokic, Porzingis was still too lean. As long as Jokic gave him some contact, his actions easily became distorted.
Jokic grabbed the ball, advanced to the front court, and handed it to Zeng Xingyang.
Anthony’s defense came up. Zeng Xingyang didn’t plan to go one-on-one this time; instead, he created space and signaled Jokic to come up again.
Jokic stepped up, screened Anthony, and Robin Lopez switched over on defense.
Zeng Xingyang accelerated, dribbled the ball from the right to the left, and then changed direction to cut in.
After improving his control and dribbling, Zeng Xingyang’s drives are now more effortless, and the Knicks’ interior defense remained loose.
A relaxed gliding scoop layup into the basket.
Three consecutive drives to the basket, scoring six points in a row.
Zeng Xingyang played more and more artistically on the offensive end.
Fans at Madison Square Garden increasingly realized the fearsome capability of Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang’s fame is definitely not just hollow talk but earned solidly on the court.
The Knicks’ defense seemed as fragile as paper in front of Zeng Xingyang.
"Increase physicality."
Robin Lopez shouted on the court.
As one of the few players willing to defend on the team, Robin Lopez felt the pressure.