NBA: Rising Superstar!

The Warriors' offense did not stall because of this.

Curry received the ball and quickly launched an attack.

For the Warriors, it's urgent to widen the score now; this is their famous third quarter, they can't be so passive anymore.

Zeng Xingyang's dunk was spectacular, but it was just two points.

The Nuggets' defense hasn't fully settled yet, and the Warriors are moving very fast.

After Curry dribbled to the front court, he quickly started a pick-and-roll with Green, breaking through with the ball. Curry's penetration is highly destructive, and the Nuggets' defense quickly contracted.

Curry tossed the ball outside to Barnes, and Zeng Xingyang was defending two players at the top of the key.

Barnes made a fake shot, drawing Zeng Xingyang over, and then passed the ball to Thompson at the arc top.

Thompson caught the ball and jumped for a three-point shot; this is Thompson's familiar rhythm.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc.

"Swoosh!" A perfect shot!

The score becomes 58 to 63.

Zeng Xingyang frowned slightly. He should have decisively rushed to Thompson, not Barnes. Sometimes choices come with a price.

The Nuggets' offense began.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled past half court. The Warriors wanted to double-team, but Jokic reacted quickly, came up in time, and set a screen for Zeng Xingyang.

Barnes and Iguodala's double-team couldn't trap Zeng Xingyang. Rather, Zeng Xingyang used Jokic's screen to break inside with a low dribble.

Zeng Xingyang reached the free throw line, and Green rushed out of the three-second area quickly. Zeng Xingyang leaned forward and made a floater.

Green's effort to pounce did not disturb Zeng Xingyang much.

"Swoosh!"

The score becomes 60 to 63.

Zeng Xingyang's scoring spree continued as he displayed outstanding shooting touch with floaters, being highly efficient in scoring.

This offensive burst made Iguodala wipe the sweat off his forehead.

Iguodala felt that Zeng Xingyang was harder to guard than James; Zeng Xingyang's offensive variability was high, and his rhythm deceived defenses.

The Warriors' offense unfolded again.

This time, Green held the ball low, and Curry pretended to receive outside but made a backdoor cut, swiftly shaking off Harris to cut inside.

Green bounced the ball to Curry at the free throw line, and Curry caught it and tossed it with one hand.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc.

"Swoosh!"

The score becomes 60 to 65.

The Nuggets' offense.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the front court, passing to Jokic at the free throw line. Jokic held the ball with one hand, leaning sideways against Green, waiting for teammates to position.

Pope and Grant continued to set screens for Zeng Xingyang.

Jokic didn't pass, instead adjusting his footwork, appearing ready to hand it off to Zeng Xingyang.

Iguodala constantly chased Zeng Xingyang, trying to block his handoff with Jokic.

Green stayed alert, ready to switch defense at any moment, but Jokic played a trick, doing a nimble spin instead of passing to Zeng Xingyang, taking slow strides to advance in.

Barnes came over to help defend. Jokic's first layup was disturbed and missed, but he securely grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the second attempt.

"Bang!"

"Beep beep!!" Barnes hit Jokic's hand, and the referee blew a foul.

"Nice job." Zeng Xingyang quickly went over and high-fived Jokic in celebration.

Zeng Xingyang had great admiration for Jokic. Even though he himself was in a hot streak, most players would try to get the ball to themselves in that situation.

But Jokic didn't adhere to such thoughts; instead, he'd use such presence to create better scoring opportunities.

"Jokic plays incredibly smart."

"Haha, impressive."

"This Serbian big man truly plays with his brain."

"In that situation, passing to Xingyang wouldn't have been a great option; the way he handled it was perfect."

"The Warriors' small-ball lineup really struggles inside, getting pounded by Jokic repeatedly."

Fans were buzzing online.

On the court, Jokic went to the line for a free throw. He took a deep breath, adjusted, and sank it steadily. The score becomes 63 to 65, and the game remained tight.

The Warriors' offense continued.

This time, Green held the ball at the top, and after Curry ran several screens, he managed to shake off Harris and cut inside. Green passed to Curry, and Jokic helped defensively. Curry handed the ball low to the cutting Iguodala along the baseline. Iguodala laid it in, scoring, making it 63 to 67.

The Warriors' style included many off-ball cuts, continually putting pressure on the Nuggets' defense.

The Nuggets' offense.

Zeng Xingyang and Jokic ran a pick-and-roll. After the screen, Zeng Xingyang changed direction and broke through, while Jokic cut down the middle.

The Warriors' defense focused on these two, while Pope cut from the left outer line to the lane, then to the right of the free throw line.

Zeng Xingyang faced a double-team at that moment and quickly passed the ball to Pope.

Pope caught the ball, adjusted, and shot from mid-range.

"Swoosh!"

The score becomes 65 to 67.

Pope's mid-range is his specialty, and he never hesitates at crucial moments.

"Well done."

"Nicely done."

"Trading for Pope mid-season was the best move."

"Awesome, awesome, keep playing like this."

"The Nuggets' ball movement is also commendable."

Fans enthusiastically commented in bullet chats.

In the third quarter, both the Nuggets and the Warriors significantly increased their offensive efficiency.

The Warriors' offense.

Curry chose to slow the pace, passing to Green after reaching the front court.

Green didn't rush his pass, instead standing still, observing the court situation non-stop.

The Warriors realized that if they played at a fast tempo, they might not gain an advantage.

Primarily, the Nuggets' movement capabilities were not inferior; their pace on both offense and defense was very fast.

Iguodala continued cutting inside, Green passed the ball in, and Grant didn't lose his position; Iguodala passed to Barnes.

Green went to screen for Barnes, Zeng Xingyang followed the screen to chase Barnes. Defending pick-and-rolls is all about outmaneuvering, squeezing through, and chasing. Barnes didn't have many opportunities.

Barnes couldn't shake off Zeng Xingyang and could only pass to Thompson on the other side.

Thompson took the ball and faked, but Pope's defense remained steady. Thompson tried to drive past Pope, which wasn't his strong suit.

Thompson stumbled forward, and his dribbling was his biggest weakness.

Pope observed calmly and suddenly made a steal.

"Pop!" Pope securely stripped the basketball.

Grant quickly controlled the ball and threw it forward at once.

Zeng Xingyang kept running forward, catching the ball on the right side after crossing the midcourt line.

Zeng Xingyang took one dribble forward, decisively rising for a shot a step beyond the three-point line.

Curry tried to chase back to defend, but he was still a bit slow. Zeng Xingyang made an uncompromising shot.

Right! "Swoosh!"

The score becomes 68 to 67, turning the lead.

After being down by as much as 14 points, Zeng Xingyang led the Nuggets to overcome and take the lead in the third quarter. The cheers from the fans at the Oracle Arena suddenly stopped!