NBA: Rising Superstar!

The Spurs clearly aren't concerned whether Zeng Xingyang is making a return.

For them, the Nuggets aren't much different from any other opponent.

During the guest team interview.

The reporter asked, "LaMarcus, Zeng ranks fifth in the latest MVP rankings, what do you think about that?"

Aldridge said, "This ranking means nothing to us; I think Kowai is the real MVP."

Leonard is becoming the future of the Spurs, and he has also won over Aldridge.

The reporter continued, "Do you have any special arrangements for the Nuggets?"

Aldridge said, "No, we will beat them just like before; they are the ones who should prepare specially."

As Aldridge said, the Nuggets are making special preparations.

In the Nuggets' locker room, Mike Malone was continuously making targeted adjustments.

Unlike the previous three games focused on team play, this game emphasized letting Zeng Xingyang go for one-on-one challenges.

Of course, this type of challenge is against defensive weak points like Aldridge and Tony Parker, not against Leonard and Danny Green.

As for defensive tactics, the Nuggets directly adopted an unlimited switching strategy to minimize open positions as much as possible.

Now, the maturity of the Nuggets' offense and defense strategy is different from previous encounters with the Spurs, and Mike Malone still has the confidence to compete hard.

The match proceeded according to the process.

After the entrance ceremony, players from both teams stood on the court.

Leonard saw Zeng Xingyang.

Although the outside world has been creating a showdown between the two tonight, honestly, he didn't find Zeng Xingyang annoying upon seeing him.

Zeng Xingyang is the type of person whose appearance seems charming, and he doesn't pose too much aggression to others.

Most of the time, he draws opponents' targeting because of media portrayal.

Though Leonard doesn't dislike Zeng Xingyang, he certainly doesn't plan on letting him off tonight.

He will strive to crush Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang also looked at the entire Spurs team.

This game will be tough as the current Spurs have more comprehensive strength, otherwise, they wouldn't have lost three times before.

From the lineup analysis, the Spurs' backcourt is partnered by Parker and Danny Green.

Parker excels at breaking defenses and organizing, Danny Green specializes in defense and three-point shooting.

The forward is Leonard, who has become the Spurs' most reliable ball-handling offensive point, averaging 21 points and 7 rebounds this season. Apart from offense, his most feared asset is defense, capable of guarding almost all positions from 1 to 4 in the league one-on-one. Death grip describes him, his long wingspan leaves offensive players nowhere.

On the inside are Aldridge and Duncan, both have the ability to stretch in positional battles for one-on-one against opposing interior lines, Duncan is a top-tier interior defender with premier help defense capability, giving the Spurs peace of mind.

This lineup has offense and defense, has three-pointers and positional play, has breakthroughs and counterattacks, is the perfect combo in many NBA coaches' minds.

Then the bench also has veterans like Ginobili and David West leading the team.

If Duncan and Ginobili were a few years younger, not even the Warriors could beat them.

A few years ago, before the Warriors rose, the Spurs almost dismantled the Heat's Big Three with such a lineup.

Two years have passed, the Spurs still possess the strength to compete for the championship.

For the Nuggets to defeat such a Spurs team, their morale would receive a significant boost.

Soon, the game started.

Spurs starters:

Point Guard: Tony Parker.

Shooting Guard: Danny Green.

Small Forward: Leonard.

Power Forward: Aldridge.

Center: Duncan.

Nuggets starters:

Point Guard: Zeng Xingyang.

Shooting Guard: Harris.

Small Forward: Pope.

Power Forward: Grant.

Center: Jokic.

Jump ball between Jokic and Duncan.

Jokic tipped the ball to Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang grabbed the ball, quickly dribbled past half-court.

Parker came to defend Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang transitioned the ball to Jokic, Jokic then passed it back.

On the right high position, Zeng Xingyang bent low holding the ball facing Parker.

The Nuggets players quickly spread out, creating one-on-one opportunities for Zeng Xingyang.

Parker's height is 1.88 meters, against Zeng Xingyang; it was a mismatch.

From this matchup point, it was evident that the Spurs indeed did not do much targeted setup against the Nuggets, with great trust in Parker's defense.

Despite his small size, Parker, leveraging his outstanding mobility and positional control, can maintain positioning and has strong screening capabilities, making it hard for someone to specifically target him for attack.

Of course, compared to other top point guards, Parker's defense isn't prominent, his defense level can only be barely passing, not severely dragging the team's performance.

However, for Zeng Xingyang, attacking him is simpler than attacking Danny Green.

Zeng Xingyang probed before Parker without losing his positioning.

Zeng Xingyang made a move to the right side, reaching the right high zone of the free-throw line, stopped abruptly, ball fake, Parker followed, raised his center to contest the defense.

The first move from Zeng Xingyang was a fake, but the second move, Zeng Xingyang jumped on the spot.

Parker's rhythm was broken, Zeng Xingyang, upon reaching the high point, got the shot off.

Smooth ball release.

Slight interference but not significant.

A beautiful arc formed as the basketball traveled.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net.

0 to 2.

Fans at the Pepsi Center in Denver quickly cheered.

The Spurs were not concerned about this loss, Parker quickly brought the ball over.

With three passes and two transitions, it reached Aldridge's hands.

Aldridge held against Grant on the low inside, started the one-on-one post-up play.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

With consecutive hits gaining advantage, turned and jumped shot.

Grant was suppressed and couldn't jump.

Aldridge took a relaxed shot.

"Swish!"

2 to 2.

The game had thus begun.

Zeng Xingyang started his one-on-one against Parker after the game commenced.

The Spurs mostly relied on Aldridge's possession-based gameplay from this side to crack open the defense.

Zeng Xingyang's offense gained some achievement, forcing Popovich to adjust by letting Danny Green switch defense.

Zeng Xingyang found it challenging to play one-on-one against Danny Green, he increasingly started driving-through to assist teammates in scoring.

Pope's defense wasn't bad either, Leonard more frequently scored using cutting methods.

In the first quarter, both teams raised their defense intensities, with lower scoring efficiencies.

Jokic was heavily restricted by Duncan, his two consecutive low post plays didn't succeed.

In the first quarter, both teams tied at 22-22.

The second quarter started with a showdown of the second units.

Ginobili and David West's prowess was evidently superior to other players, creating plays on the court.

Successfully executing consecutive screens.

David West was still on the peak's tail end, his interior offensive skills too solid, he possessed starting capabilities in other NBA teams,but he's the Spurs' substitute.

Clearly, he wasn't here for the money.

Faried and he were simply not on the same level, being toyed numerous times.

The Nuggets' second unit mainly relied on Nurkic's positional stand-off play for breakthroughs, but as soon as he received the ball inside, the Spurs frantically made steals.

The Nuggets were directly hit by a 10-0 run widening the score gap.

Mike Malone's face turned very grim, decisively called a time-out.

At this moment, the second quarter had 8 minutes and 13 seconds left.