Paul stood up and quickly appealed to the referee: "Offensive foul, this is an offensive foul."
Paul wasn’t going to sit idly by, ready to catch Zeng Xingyang off guard, but drawing an offensive foul requires cooperation from the referee’s side.
The referee didn’t blow the whistle this round; they deemed it a reasonable offensive move.
Paul gave the referee a hard glare, but the referee ignored him.
The Clippers’ offense came up again.
This time Redick used tactical positioning to finally shake off Harris, creating an open spot to receive the ball, and Paul passed it to Redick.
As soon as Redick caught the ball, Pope quickly switched defense from the other side, and Redick lost his open spot, so he could only pass to Wesley Johnson.
Grant’s defense came over, and Wesley Johnson passed to Griffin, who was in the corner with an open space.
The Nuggets’ defense is very coherent.
Griffin confidently tried a corner three-pointer.
The shot was stiff, with the basketball hitting the rim heavily and bouncing back, the rebound being grabbed by Zeng Xingyang.
This scene made Rivers heartbroken.
Such a good open opportunity wasted just like that.
Griffin is becoming more and more useless, he can’t be kept.
The Nuggets’ defense makes every player in the Clippers uncomfortable with their shooting position.
They can accept Griffin’s three-point shots but won’t accept Griffin’s layups under the basket.
They can accept Paul’s lay-ups but won’t let Paul shoot from mid-range.
For the Nuggets’ offense, Zeng Xingyang didn’t continue targeting Paul; Paul’s fall reminded Zeng Xingyang that continuing to force it would easily lead to an offensive foul.
Zeng Xingyang decided to run a pick and roll with Jokic, and Little Jordan and Wesley Johnson quickly switched defense.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled sideways, Jokic rolled down, and Zeng Xingyang slammed the ball downward for Jokic to take inside.
After receiving the ball, Jokic stepped forward and easily scored against Wesley Johnson.
This mismatch offense is very stable.
The Clippers’ offense.
Paul dribbled to the front court, calling for a pick and roll.
Little Jordan came up, and Zeng Xingyang tried to bypass the screen but failed.
Jokic switched to defend Paul.
Paul took advantage of the mismatch for a layup, continuously dribbling with direction changes, then jumped for a close-range shot with adjusted rhythm.
Jokic was slightly slow and couldn’t block Paul’s shot.
Paul helped the Clippers score first, slightly suppressing the momentum on-site.
In the subsequent game, both sides continued to fiercely compete on defense.
The Clippers were pressing the pace, constantly improving offensive rationality, reducing errors and possession counts.
The entire team’s offense still revolved around Paul for connections.
Paul played very calmly, tactically despite being targeted, with good connections between Paul and the two insiders.
The Nuggets relied on the offensive threat of Zeng Xingyang; as long as there’s an opportunity, they attack.
After half a quarter of the game, the Nuggets first made substitutions, replacing Zeng Xingyang with Nelson.
Mike Malone did this to let Zeng Xingyang lead the second lineup later.
But as soon as Zeng Xingyang left the court, the Nuggets’ offensive power significantly reduced, and Nelson couldn’t give Paul the same immense pressure, making Paul appear more composed on the court.
Paul assisted Redick for a three-pointer and did his own three-pointer jump shot, helping the Clippers establish a certain leading edge.
When the time came to 3 minutes and 54 seconds, both sides’ scores reached 16 to 13, the Clippers were already ahead by 3 points in the away game.
Mike Malone chose to call a timeout in the game.
The fans at the Pepsi Center in Denver didn’t care much, continually shouting Zeng Xingyang’s name.
When the team encounters trouble, Zeng Xingyang is the team’s biggest reliance.
Even though the team was in trouble, the Denver fans weren’t worried; they knew Zeng Xingyang hadn’t exerted his full force yet.
The camera was now on Zeng Xingyang, and Mike Malone didn’t hesitate at all, signaling Zeng Xingyang to go on the court.
Zeng Xingyang returned to the court, bringing Nelson, Pope, Galinarli, and Nurkic with him.
This setup also somewhat reduces Nurkic’s tactical position in the second lineup.
The Clippers only rotated a few positions over there, still not entering a comprehensive rotation phase.
The Nuggets’ offense.
Nelson dribbled forward, with Zeng Xingyang being pushed by Paul Pierce.
Paul Pierce, now 39 and nearing retirement, can only rely on physical confrontations to get off his shots.
Rivers gave Paul Pierce the task of wearing down Zeng Xingyang on defense, not giving him an easy time.
Rivers believes Paul Pierce knows what he means.
Zeng Xingyang wants to score and has to pay a huge price.
Nelson reached the front and passed the ball outside, running a tactic, ready to give it to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang started positioning, with Pierce continuously using various small methods to limit Zeng Xingyang’s reception.
Nurkic moved up, and Zeng Xingyang ran over.
Nurkic’s screening was solid, fully blocking Pierce.
Zeng Xingyang appeared at the left corner 45-degree line outside the three-point line, at this time, Nelson passed the ball.
Zeng Xingyang’s first move upon receiving the ball was to fake a shot, and Pierce fell for it, immediately raising his center of gravity.
With Pierce rushing over, Zeng Xingyang transitioned into dribbling and charged towards the inside.
Little Jordan was waiting under the basket, but Zeng Xingyang dropped speed urgently at the position one step forward of the free-throw line.