Zeng Xingyang’s dunk was filled with violence.
Jokic on the sidelines was shouting.
"That was a beautiful play."
"Zeng, keep playing ."
"Foul, ref, that was a foul."
Jokic was quite the chatterbox on the sidelines, constantly talking, sometimes to his teammates, sometimes to the referee.
As Zeng Xingyang passed by, he even gave him a high five.
Zeng Xingyang’s dunk combined violence with an air of grace.
The Clippers didn’t just sit idly by; they quickly made a response.
Crawford got the ball and passed it to Griffin in the right low post.
Griffin collided with Faried, who used all his strength against Griffin.
Griffin, after bumping once, spun around.
Griffin slid to the basket and, before Nurkic could arrive, quickly leaped up and delivered a powerful dunk.
Griffin showed intense aggression inside and flexed his biceps towards the camera.
Nelson dribbled past half-court, and Zeng Xingyang positioned on the right side.
Bamot gave chase, originally from Cameroon and studied at UCLA, with decent defensive skills brought by his physical talent but limited scoring ability.
Zeng Xingyang broke free with an off-ball cut in the paint, and Griffin pursued him.
Nelson passed to Zeng Xingyang outside the right three-point line.
Zeng Xingyang, after receiving the ball, made a quick fake move.
Griffin was fooled into the air, and Zeng Xingyang dribbled up once to create a tiny space and took a clean three-point shot.
The basketball drew a beautiful arc.
Although the opportunity wasn’t too great, the Clippers’ defense exerted significant pressure, yet Zeng Xingyang made the shot.
The on-site fans let out a cheer.
Zeng Xingyang spread his arms, signaling the fans to keep screaming.
Zeng Xingyang knew how to stir the atmosphere.
It was Crawford stepping up again.
Crawford dribbled to the frontcourt, using Cole Aldrich’s screen to drive one step right.
Zeng Xingyang’s defense was momentarily delayed.
Crawford did not hesitate, shooting decisively from the right free-throw line mid-range.
The basketball drew a rainbow arc.
Crawford strived to lead the Clippers in resisting the tremendous pressure brought by Zeng Xingyang.
But such resistance seemed to be a drop in the bucket.
Nuggets’ offense came again.
Zeng Xingyang, using Nurkic’s screen, charged in, drawing the Clippers’ defense before passing to Pope outside.
This pass gave Pope an open opportunity.
Pope, receiving the ball, decisively shot a three-pointer from the right beyond the arc.
The first quarter quickly ended with a score of 24 to 31.
After the Nuggets’ second unit came on, they showed exceptional offensive capability, marking the turning point for both teams in the first quarter.
Zeng Xingyang’s performance in the first quarter was very impressive; his frequent ball-handling attacks showed he was in great shape.
The playoffs seemed not a challenge for Zeng Xingyang but rather his kind of battlefield.
This state also helped the Nuggets gain a relatively stable advantage.
"15 points, 5 assists, Zeng Xingyang dominated the game with highly efficient offense."
"The Clippers haven’t found a good way to deal with Zeng Xingyang."
Barkley and Smith were chatting.
Rivers was angrily yelling at the players, finding it absurd the Clippers couldn’t hold off the Nuggets’ offense, attributing it to the team’s insufficient defensive intensity.
"Work harder, move your feet quicker."
"That guy is just a rookie, you have more experience than him."
Hearing Rivers’ words, Paul frowned.
Paul felt from the first quarter that the team’s defense was quite troubling; if the Nuggets only had Zeng Xingyang as an offensive threat, they wouldn’t be afraid.
After all, everyone in the Clippers could take turns exhausting him, causing him significant trouble.
But that’s not the case.
The Nuggets had Pope, Nurkic, Jokic, Harris, all scoring when needed.
This made it costly for the Clippers to double-team Zeng Xingyang.
The Nuggets weren’t commonly viewed as a single-core or dual-core team; they had excellent overall offense and defense.
This was Paul’s biggest takeaway from this quarter.
Unlike the cloudy atmosphere on the Clippers’ side, the Nuggets’ Mike Malone praised everyone, being very satisfied with the team’s performance.
Soon, the second quarter started.
The Nuggets’ second unit remained unchanged.
The Clippers, however, made adjustments, with Paul, Crawford, Wesley Johnson, Bamot, and Little Jordan.
The Clippers wouldn’t watch the Nuggets’ second unit expand the lead further.
Paul dribbled past half-court and continued to pass the ball to Crawford.
Crawford, receiving the ball, quickly accelerated towards Zeng Xingyang’s right side.
Zeng Xingyang maintained pressure on Crawford, who drove against Zeng Xingyang for a floater.
The basketball banged heavily on the rim and bounced out.
Little Jordan leaped at the basket, pushing away Nurkic, and grabbed the rebounding ball with both hands, slamming it in forcefully.
Little Jordan completed the putback dunk while also drawing a foul on Nurkic.
This play was very strong, with Little Jordan pounding his chest and shouting after landing.