NBA: Rising Superstar!

Although this play seemed like a hand foul, the referee still didn't call it. After making an exaggerated gesture, the referee awarded the ball to the Nuggets.

Thompson helplessly spread his hands, while Cole continued to harass the referee from the sideline. He was full of anger, continuously complaining to the referee, his hands waving in the air.

The fans at the Pepsi Center in Denver were roaring.

"Oh oh, it's so fascinating, a top-notch attack and defense showdown."

"The Nuggets are surprisingly fierce."

"I just love watching games like this, it's so exciting."

"That block was beautiful, Thompson had no chance of dunking like that."

"The referee is fair, haha, no calls like that."

"This year's playoffs are truly entertaining."

The fans were discussing fervently, faces filled with excitement.

Despite the rapid pace of offense and defense from both sides, the intensity was high, which made the score not very high.

Curry and Thompson were also fiercely positioning, never slacking off on every attack, making the Nuggets' defense chase wearily.

Everyone could feel the Warriors' eagerness to win; they really couldn't afford to lose anymore.

On the Nuggets' side, both Zeng Xingyang and Jokic weren't as efficient as before, as he spent much of his energy on defense.

The Warriors' defensive strategy mainly adopted the collapsing lane defense method.

They had corrected their understanding of Jokic, no longer seeing him as a rookie or a role player; they regarded Jokic as a dominantly powerful center, another core player for the Nuggets, with significant threatening ability both in inside offense or basketball skills.

When Jokic was holding the ball for a single play, they collapsed inside for defense, reducing the cut-in and breakthrough space for other Nuggets players, then mainly concentrated on guarding Zeng Xingyang on the outside.

At times, four Warriors players were surrounding Jokic, which put a lot of pressure on Jokic's offensive end and visibly reduced his scoring efficiency.

Whereas when Zeng Xingyang was holding the ball, passing, and breaking through, the defensive players rotated quickly, filling defensive gaps to ensure the team's defensive integrity.

During the rotation defense, they timely executed secondary defense and double-teaming on Zeng Xingyang.

For regular defense on Zeng Xingyang, they defended closely, making his catching the ball uncomfortable, followed by sustained confrontation. Every time Zeng Xingyang attempted a three-pointer, interference was a must.

The Warriors were executing their defensive strategy very thoroughly tonight; both Zeng Xingyang and Jokic were restricted for a while, and the Nuggets' offensive efficiency declined as well.

However, the Warriors' offense wasn't faring comfortably either; the Nuggets directly employed infinite switching, primarily aiming to lock down the Splash Brothers.

Green and Bogut sometimes easily found open spots under the basket, but they still relentlessly double-teamed the Splash Brothers.

As a result, Curry and Thompson's shooting touch declined rapidly.

The first half ended quickly with a score of 43 to 43.

Both teams scored surprisingly low.

Both teams demonstrated traditional playoff performance, fully showcasing the intensity of the playoffs.

The Nuggets' rotational insufficiencies became apparent, and the excessive playtime of Zeng Xingyang and Jokic in the first two games exposed further concerns. They seemed slower, unable to catch up on defense.

Mike Malone had no choice but to rotate the two in the third quarter, which caused the Nuggets' offensive and defensive rhythm to falter, allowing the Warriors to gradually take command of the score.

With 6 minutes and 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the score reached 90 to 82, with the Warriors leading by 8 points.

The live audience felt the strength of the Warriors.

Denver fans couldn't fathom how the Nuggets managed consecutive wins at the Warriors' home court.

These Warriors were terrifying.

Mike Malone called for a timeout.

Setting up the strategy, Mike Malone, with a heavy expression, said, "Zeng, you keep executing the pick-and-roll tactic with Nikola, and let's ensure success in the coming offense."

Mike Malone's trump card was this strategy, and it was well-known to all.

"OK!"

Jokic and Zeng Xingyang nodded, their eyes revealing determined faith.

The Nuggets maintained composure, thanks to the poised performances of Zeng Xingyang and Jokic.

Fans at the Pepsi Center continued to cheer and encourage the Nuggets.

They waved slogans in their hands, and their loud cheers echoed throughout the arena.

After the timeout,

the Nuggets resumed their offense.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the top of the arc and played a pick-and-roll with Jokic.

Barnes was primarily guarding Zeng Xingyang, and Barnes was screened as Bogut switched to guard him.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled the ball from the left to the right, then changed direction to drive inward.

His eyes were locked on the basket, his footsteps agile as he weaved through the defenders.

Zeng Xingyang attracted Green from the inside along with Thompson from the offside to assist on defense.

Zeng Xingyang passed behind his back to Jokic at the top of the arc.

Jokic received the ball, faked, and made Curry switch directions into the air.

Then attempted a three-pointer off one foot.

The posture was odd, but the touch was soft.

The ball traveled a beautiful arc.

"Swish!"

90 to 85

"Jokic's three-pointer, assisted by Xingyang, the power of their pick-and-roll is tremendous, like a piece of beautiful art," Zhang Weiping exclaimed.

On the court,

the Nuggets' defense hadn't fully set, and Green passed it to Curry.

Bogut crossed half-court and set a screen for Curry.

Bogut also delayed Zeng Xingyang and Harris, giving Curry a narrow open lane.

Curry stepped quickly and launched a three-pointer.

The ball traveled a beautiful arc.

"Swish!"

Right on target!!

93 to 85

The Warriors responded quickly, slightly suppressing the venue's momentum.

The Nuggets' turn on offense.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the frontcourt and Jokic came up for a screen.

This time, Zeng Xingyang passed back to Jokic, who chose to pass to the cutting Pope.

Pope faced minimal defensive pressure and scored on a short-stop.

93 to 87.

The Warriors' offense continued to respond, this time with Thompson.

After a series of passes, Thompson received the ball at the 45-degree left position and shot a three-pointer, hitting again!!

96 to 87.

The game resumed the tug-of-war.

The pick-and-roll of Zeng Xingyang and Jokic was truly hard to restrict, but the Warriors' accurate three-pointers frequently suppressed comebacks.

In the end, the score was fixed at 104 to 95.

The Warriors defeated the Nuggets by 9 points on the road, securing the first victory of the series, and the series score was updated to 1 to 2.

For the Nuggets, the only piece of good news tonight was that Zeng Xingyang and Jokic finally didn't play the full game, with one playing 39 minutes and the other 40 minutes.

Zeng Xingyang and Jokic were not willing to lose like this, yet there wasn't much they could do.

Tonight they were clearly affected by playing full games in the previous two matches, their legs felt heavy.

The consequences of relentlessly playing full games in the series started showing.

It's definitely not without side effects.

Mike Malone obviously knew where the problem lay, but he couldn't resolve it easily.