NBA: Rising Superstar!

Just Livingston fell too.

"Beep beep!!"

The referee blew a foul on Zeng Xingyang, and the fans immediately erupted with boos, deafening boos.

Zeng Xingyang hurriedly went to explain to the referee that he didn't commit a foul on this play, spreading his hands in helplessness, but the referee ignored him. In fact, Zeng Xingyang didn't touch Livingston's body; the steal was just a bit excessive, a misjudgment.

Livingston mainly fell while trying to snatch back after Zeng Xingyang stole the ball.

If the Nuggets score on this play, they will fully gain momentum.

Cole quickly subbed in Curry.

The Warriors resumed their attack.

"Defense!"

"Defense!"

The fans chanted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the arena.

Curry received the ball, dribbled past the half-court, calling for Bogut's screen.

His eyes were lively, observing the court situation, searching for the best scoring opportunity.

Zeng Xingyang could tell from Curry's intention that he wanted a mismatch to exploit Jokic.

But Zeng Xingyang wouldn't let Curry do that; he anticipated Bogut's screen ahead of time, his eyes focused on Curry's every move, bypassing the screen to chase Curry.

Curry found no success and called for another screen, but Bogut still failed to set a solid pick.

The chance to attack Jokic wasn't good, Curry opted not to take Zeng Xingyang one-on-one, but instead passed the ball to Thompson on the other side.

Thompson, facing Harris's defense, chose to stop and shoot after taking one dribble to the right.

His movements were smooth and natural, though Harris was no easy defender to beat, quickly closing in to disturb Thompson.

"Clang!"

Thompson's shot hit the rim hard.

The rebound was controlled by the retreating Jokic. He leapt high, securing the rebound firmly.

Many NBA head coaches watching the game envied the Nuggets' lineup, which could almost restrict their opposing players position by position, making it very difficult to exploit them one-on-one except during extreme mismatches.

Such a lineup ensures they remain strong playoff contenders in the coming years.

The Nuggets' starters are not particularly talented; Grant and Jokic were even second-round picks, with Zeng Xingyang being their highest pick at number 7.

This also means they are somewhat replicable.

Jokic dribbled past half-court.

The Nuggets players didn't have good chances, so Jokic called for a set play.

He shouted loudly for his teammates to position themselves.

Zeng Xingyang positioned on the other side, with Grant, Pope, and others screening for him, as the strategy still revolved around Zeng Xingyang.

The Nuggets' continuous screens and positioning.

In the right high post, Zeng Xingyang created a one-on-one situation with Bogut, received the ball from Jokic while he rolled down to pull away the help defense.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Continuous crossover dribbles.

Zeng Xingyang's dribble movements were skillful, rhythm perfectly timed. Bogut didn't dare to leave Zeng Xingyang open for a three-pointer, shifting his focus upward.

Zeng Xingyang made a quick decisive move to the right, quickly leaving Bogut behind.

Zeng Xingyang drove to the paint, drawing help defense before sending the ball skyward. His pass was like a bullet flying toward the hoop.

Grant from the other side stepped up, jumping high, catching the ball with one hand, then slamming it hard.

"Clang!"

39 to 34.

That alley-oop was beautifully delivered.

Timeout!!

Cole couldn't hold back; he rushed out with a tactical board, looking anxious. The Warriors were continuously chased in points, close to having the momentum turned by the Nuggets.

The fans at the Pepsi Center were cheering and screaming, jumping to cheer for the Nuggets.

"Nice pass," Grant came over to high-five Zeng Xingyang in celebration. His face full of excitement, eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. Zeng Xingyang's pass was perfectly timed, making Grant very comfortable.

Zeng Xingyang nodded, his face showing a confident smile. As long as the Warriors didn't frequently double-team him, facing their defense wouldn't be too difficult.

The timeout quickly ended.

Both teams' core lineup returned to the game.

Warriors' offense.

Green dribbled to the frontcourt, organizing from the top of the arc.

His gaze was calm, observing the situation, searching for the best passing opportunity.

Curry used Bogut's screen for an off-ball move. His positioning was nimble; Harris was shaken off, and Curry cut in.

Green bounced the ball to Curry.

Curry drew the Nuggets' defense collapse, then passed the ball to Bogut in the middle.

Under the basket, Bogut fought against Jokic for a successful layup.

41 to 34.

Nuggets' offense.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the frontcourt, met with a double team, his expression calm as he quickly distributed the ball to Jokic.

At this moment, Pope and Grant simultaneously cut inside.

Because of the double team on Zeng Xingyang, Green created a one-on-two situation in the paint.

Jokic passed the ball to Grant, Grant stepped up, drew Green's defense, then passed to Pope.

Pope's layup was successful.

41 to 36.

Compared to the Warriors' play full of coordination, the Nuggets exhibited high-level teamwork.

Warriors' offense.

This time, Green and Curry ran a pick and roll; Curry wanted to pass to Green after the screen, but made a mistake, and the fast-charging Grant completed the steal.

He was like a cheetah, quickly controlling the ball firmly in his hand.

Grant sprinted forward swiftly, Zeng Xingyang activated on the other side.

After reaching the front, Grant passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang settled at the left 45-degree angle, shot a chase-down three-pointer.

His leap was light, the basketball drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

"Swish!"

A shot straight to the heart!!

41 to 39.

The atmosphere in the arena reached a peak at this moment, fans shouted crazily, causing the whole place to erupt.

The Nuggets' overall momentum was even stronger.

Warriors' offense, this time exhibiting high-intensity defensive rotations continuously.

The Warriors attempted to find mismatches for isolation, but failed.

Zeng Xingyang was fully aware that this Warriors team lacked players with strong isolation abilities; without Durant's forceful attacking presence, they needed to constantly run plays.

This time the Warriors' play didn't materialize.

From one step outside the three-point line, Curry took a contested shot against Zeng Xingyang unsuccessfully. His shooting motion was a bit distorted; the basketball hit the rim heavily.

"Clang!"

Jokic grabbed the rebound, quickly passing it to Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled quickly down the right side, Jokic bit his lips and rushed down the middle.

Zeng Xingyang entered the paint, drew the defense, then delivered the ball to Jokic in the center.

No longer under significant pressure, Jokic took a step, gathered the ball, fought Bogut, and scored from an advantageous position.

41 to 41.

The score was finally tied.

Afterward, the scores alternated up and down.

Soon, the first half concluded with the score fixed at 53 to 53.