NBA: Rising Superstar!

In the bustling, noisy basketball arena, the shouts and discussions of the spectators intertwined into a wave of sound.

Barkley flushed red, shouting at the top of his lungs: "No one expected the Nuggets to suppress the Warriors in the first half." His wide eyes were filled with disbelief.

Smith said earnestly: "The Nuggets have taken absolute initiative. In the second half, the Warriors should go with the Death Lineup to see if they can bring the game back."

As Smith spoke, he shook his head slightly, seemingly pondering the direction the game would take next.

During halftime, in the visitor's locker room, the lights were bright, and the air was filled with the scent of sweat and tension.

Zeng Xingyang's eyes glimmered with excitement as he high-fived each teammate enthusiastically, their palms clapping together with a crisp sound.

Securing such a lead against the Warriors in the first half was indeed difficult, and everyone was well aware of the challenges faced.

Mike Malone frowned, his expression serious, and then increased his volume to emphasize defense: "In the second half, they're going to use the small lineup. What we need to do is keep switching defenders, don't give them open shots, and minimize turnovers on offense to prevent them from fast breaking. If they do fast break, commit a foul immediately if necessary." He gestured in the air, demonstrating the switching actions as he spoke.

"OK!"

"Got it!"

Jokic, Harris, Pope, and the others straightened their backs, responding positively with determined and powerful voices.

The Nuggets did not dare underestimate the strength of the Warriors, even though they were leading by 14 points at the moment. They all knew that this lead was nothing significant against the league's top team.

The Warriors had too many comebacks this season.

Mike Malone worried about whether Zeng Xingyang and Jokic's stamina would affect their performance on the court.

In the home team's locker room, it was rather quiet. Curry sat silently in front of his locker, brows furrowed, lost in thought, then slowly picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Curry's performance in the first half was poor. He could clearly feel that he was being targeted by the opponents, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

This targeting was not an ordinary one; it was detailed, on both offense and defense. Currently, only the Nuggets could make him feel this pressured in the entire league.

If the second half maintains this pace, the team will face great trouble.

However, before Curry mentioned it, Cole quickly addressed everyone: "Andrei, Drummond, you two are up. Next, we're going with the small lineup, increase defensive intensity, capitalize on their mistakes, and play our transition offense!" He waved his arms passionately as he spoke.

"Play at our pace!"

"This is our home court, don't relax, play in our style..."

Cole continuously used motivational talk to inspire the players, his eyes revealing determination and persistence.

Cole had complete confidence in his team.

"Take them down!"

Green shouted along with the other players.

The second half began quickly.

Warriors lineup: Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Iguodala, Green. Nuggets lineup: Zeng Xingyang, Harris, Pope, Grant, Jokic.

Zhang Weiping said with focus: "The Nuggets still use the starting lineup to face off, which really tests their stamina, let's see if they can maintain their efficiency in the second half of the game."

The Nuggets' starters had already played a long time.

On the court, the Warriors attacked first.

Curry bent down, skillfully dribbled to the frontcourt, Harris quickly closed in, leaning forward slightly, applying pressure to Curry.

Mike Malone stood on the sidelines, his eyes closely following the ball's movement. He didn't continue letting Zeng Xingyang defend Curry, as primarily defending Curry would greatly deplete Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang was focused; his task was to defend Barnes, who was not the tactical focus of the Warriors.

After Curry reached the front court, he passed the ball to Green, then began to move agilely.

Iguodala quickly came out to give Curry a simple off-ball screen.

Green stepped to the right for a swift breakthrough, passing to Thompson on the left 45-degree position.

Thompson caught the ball, feigned a shot, drawing Pope up instinctively, then took a dribble inside and stopped for a mid-range shot.

His movements were smooth and natural, and the basketball drew a beautiful arc.

"Swish!" The basketball entered the net.

64 to 52.

The Warriors opened the second half with a clear and crisp shot.

The Nuggets' defense didn't seem as tight as in the first half.

Pope raised his hand regretfully, indicating that the play was his fault.

Pope's defense was very passive on this play. If he stayed down, Thompson's fake move would naturally turn into a real move.

Letting him shoot a three would obviously be less costly than allowing the two-pointer.

After scoring, Thompson didn't celebrate but stayed calm, quickly closing in on Harris. Iguodala came to defend Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang brought the ball past half court, the Warriors were also intent on exhausting Zeng Xingyang.

Iguodala comes up to confront him, Zeng Xingyang passes the ball to Jokic.

Jokic controls the ball at the top of the arc.

Zeng Xingyang attempts to cut back for the ball, moving swiftly, but doesn't succeed, as Iguodala stays closely on him, giving no chance to receive the ball.

Jokic then dribbles himself to the right side of the free throw line, and subsequently hands the ball off to Pope, setting a pick and roll between them.

Pope takes advantage of Jokic's screen to move laterally and break through, distracting the Warriors' defensive attention.

Zeng Xingyang also makes a cut to shake off Iguodala, gaining space, Grant follows to screen and block, Green's switch isn't fast enough, Zeng Xingyang finds a gap on the left side.

Pope passes the ball to Zeng Xingyang decisively, and as Zeng Xingyang catches the ball on the move, he follows up with a fake move.

After Iguodala gets past the screen, he loses his balance and lunges forward, but Zeng Xingyang doesn't draw a foul, instead, like Thompson, he bends low, takes a step inside, and makes a high post jump shot.

His rhythm and shooting feel are perfect, the basketball draws a beautiful arc.

"Swish!"

66 to 52

"Nice pass." Zeng Xingyang grinned, high-fiving Pope in celebration.

"Great positioning." Pope responded with a smile, his face full of joy.

Zhang Weiping remarked with admiration, "The Nuggets' style of play is truly enjoyable to watch, every player on the team is happy to share the ball, it's a very comfortable rhythm."

Yu Jia nodded in agreement, "Pope's pass was perfectly timed, that's not something he usually does."

Zeng Xingyang's responsive play silenced the crowd a bit.

But very soon, the cheers erupted again.

Curry dribbled to the frontcourt, executed a fancy behind-the-back dribble, skillfully, and exploited Green's screen to momentarily block Harris, shifting the rhythm away from Grant.

From about one and a half meters outside the right three-point line, he fired a long-range shot.

The basketball, like a guided missile, flew rapidly.

"Swish!"

66 to 55.

Curry nailed an iconic long-distance three-pointer. Such a shot is practically undefendable.

Harris and Grant's defense was fast, but still couldn't stop him, he seized the slightest opening.

The cheers at Oracle Arena rose once more, wave after wave.

Zeng Xingyang looked serious, fully aware that such offense was just the beginning of the third quarter.

The Nuggets' stamina had declined a bit compared to the first half, and their defense wasn't as tight, which could give the Warriors some opportunities.

Trying to consistently suppress the Warriors' offense is unrealistic.

Nuggets possession.

Jokic stood at the baseline, eyes fixed ahead, and launched a long pass past half court to Zeng Xingyang.

After getting the ball, Zeng Xingyang quickly took a step to get past the closely marking Iguodala.

Iguodala didn't give up defending Zeng Xingyang, continuing to apply pressure from behind.

Zeng Xingyang accelerated towards the inside, Green hadn't returned yet, but Thompson and Barnes were already back.

The three of them formed a flank attack on Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang responded quickly, passing the ball outside to the advancing Pope.

Pope at the top of the arc found an opening, showed no hesitation, eyes resolute, released a three-pointer.

The basketball drew a beautiful rainbow arc.

"Clang!"

"Swish!"

69 to 55.

Coach Zhang praised, "Pope plays tough with no hesitation, the Nuggets' mid-season trades were truly shrewd."

Yu Jia nodded in approval, "Yes, establishing Xingyang and Jokic as the core foundations, and pairing with suitable players at other positions, creates a very competitive lineup."

On the court, Zeng Xingyang immediately high-fived Pope in celebration, both their faces beaming with the joy of victory. This time they caught the Warriors off guard.

Zeng Xingyang is very clear that in the playoffs, victory can't be achieved by individual efforts alone, especially against a team like the Warriors, it requires everyone to step up.