Afflalo’s offense doesn’t have as much weight as Anthony and Porzingis, which is a special arrangement by Mike Malone, as he doesn’t want to increase Zeng Xingyang’s defensive consumption.
The Knicks passed the ball around the perimeter a few times before bringing it inside to Porzingis.
After getting the ball, Porzingis faked a move, simply breaking Grant’s rhythm and went for a jump shot.
The release point was very high.
Grant tried his best to jump.
Hit Porzingis’ arm, but he managed to get the shot off.
The basketball bounced off the backboard and dropped into the hoop.
Whistle blew, the ball went in.
Porzingis pumped his fist heavily, shooting is his forte, and tonight he showcased it.
He can’t just sit back and watch Zeng Xingyang put on a solo performance!
Grant looked frustrated; other positions were defending well, but he seemed at a disadvantage.
Mike Malone on the sidelines also frowned a bit, but he didn’t emphasize anything.
It wasn’t that Grant didn’t defend well, but rather Porzingis was indeed very outstanding.
In the power forward position, having this height, wingspan, and shooting ability makes it really hard to defend when his shots are falling.
"Push him out there, don’t let him get close to the basket," Mike Malone shouted.
If Porzingis can still make shots far from the basket, then there’s nothing more to say.
Porzingis made the free throw steadily.
This offensive play slightly uplifted the home crowd.
Jokic dribbled the ball leisurely advancing forward.
Zeng Xingyang was running on the other side; the Knicks had now adopted a strategy of double-teaming him whenever he had the ball.
Zeng Xingyang couldn’t handle the ball comfortably.
Jokic first passed the ball to Grant on the right side.
Faced with Porzingis, Grant decisively chose to drive with a big stride.
But Porzingis’ movement speed was very fast, continuously using his long arms to disrupt Grant.
Grant’s high-speed play wasn’t very effective against Porzingis.
During the breakthrough, Grant passed the ball back to Jokic.
At the time, Zeng Xingyang was positioned at the top of the arc, an opportunity arose for him to receive the ball.
Jokic quickly transferred the ball to Zeng Xingyang without hesitation.
Afflalo was chasing Zeng Xingyang, and as soon as Zeng Xingyang caught the ball, he faked a move.
Afflalo got completely fooled, and subsequently, Zeng Xingyang took a step inside and made a high jump shot.
However, Jokic astutely tipped the offensive rebound back to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang faked once more, fooling Lopez, moved sideways, and took a quick mid-range shot.
The basketball drew a beautiful arc.
Zhang Weiping shouted: "Jokic’s tipping rebound was very impressive; he didn’t let the ball stay in his hands, instead kept it moving quickly."
Yu Jia said: "The Knicks’ defensive line has become somewhat loose."
The Knicks were back on the offensive.
Calderon initiated a pick-and-roll, Anthony’s pick.
After the pick-and-roll, Zeng Xingyang switched to defend Anthony.
Anthony opted to back down Zeng Xingyang from the high right position.
Anthony wanted to leverage his height and weight advantage to exploit the mismatch, but he didn’t anticipate Zeng Xingyang’s unexpected physical resistance.
Zeng Xingyang didn’t back down much from Anthony’s collision.
Anthony forcibly spun into a fadeaway from the low left block.
Zeng Xingyang remained in position, significantly hindering Anthony’s shot.
The basketball bounced off the rim.
But Porzingis bypassed Grant and easily tipped the ball in.
In the Knicks’ home court, Porzingis played with extra effort.
The fans on-site cheered loudly.
"You have Zeng, we have KP!"
Zeng Xingyang dribbled past half-court and got double-teamed immediately.
Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to the open Harris.
Harris didn’t shoot, choosing instead to wait for the defense to come over before passing back to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang executed a pick-and-roll with Jokic, and after the pick, Lopez and Afflalo simultaneously double-teamed him.
Zeng Xingyang made a bounce pass to a rolling Jokic.
With an open lane in front, Jokic drove in.
Porzingis helped on defense, Jokic faked a layup, tricked Porzingis, then brought the ball back and effortlessly put it in from the right side after stepping through.
Given such a wide-open opportunity, Jokic won’t hesitate to score.
The Knicks’ double-teaming strategy did have a certain effect, limiting Zeng Xingyang’s offense somewhat.
But soon, the Knicks players responded.
Porzingis drew attention from defenders inside before passing to Calderon outside.
Calderon, attracting Zeng Xingyang’s defense, transferred the ball to Afflalo at the top of the arc.
Afflalo also made the three-pointer.
Even though the Nuggets seemed to be attacking like a tidal wave, the Knicks’ offense was also effective, consistently responding.
Even though the Knicks double-teamed Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang still utilized Jokic’s screen, dribbled to change direction, and broke inside, drawing Knicks’ defensive adjustments again.
Then Pope cut to the basket, Zeng Xingyang passed inside, and Pope easily made the layup.
The cost of double-teaming Zeng Xingyang was significant, making the Nuggets’ offense easier.
The Nuggets were getting more excited, and their defensive intensity was steadily increasing.
Both sides began frequently getting to the free throw line.
Zeng Xingyang had already displayed to the Knicks confidently how, if not double-teamed, he could completely dismantle their defense!!
Zeng Xingyang’s presence forced the Knicks to alter their defensive strategy, giving other players more opportunities.