With Randall’s help defense, Zeng Xingyang tossed the ball high up while moving quickly.
Faried on the other side took steps to soar into the air, catching Zeng Xingyang’s pass with both hands and slamming it fiercely.
The alley-oop was completed!!
Faried pulled the hoop fiercely with both hands, roaring loudly: "Don’t underestimate me, ah!!!!"
Penguin’s live broadcast seating area.
Wang Meng exclaimed excitedly: "Xingyang and Jokic first set a pick-and-roll to create a mismatch, then Xingyang explosively got past Hibbert one-on-one, attracted the defense, and then passed to Faried for the alley-oop. This play was incredibly brilliant."
Kovan said: "Yes, Xingyang uses his ability to draw defenders to create opportunities for teammates again, he has the talent to become a point guard."
After delivering the assist, Zeng Xingyang glanced at Kobe.
Kobe’s face was extremely gloomy.
Under Zeng Xingyang’s relentless assault, Kobe hated the Lakers management for the first time; they actually chose Russell with the second pick, that worthless guy.
If they had chosen Zeng Xingyang, this guy could quickly become the new pillar of the Lakers.
There were quite a few cheers at the Staples Center; Zeng Xingyang was already turning this place into his home court.
The Nuggets executed such a splendid play, putting great pressure on the Lakers’ coaching bench.
Meanwhile, Mike Malone on the Nuggets’ side was much more relaxed; ever since Zeng Xingyang was promoted to starter, the team’s starting vibe has been completely different.
This time, Russell finally got a chance to attack.
The Lakers’ ball circulated once and ended up in Russell’s hands.
Russell used Hibbert’s screen to break through, Jokic switched to defend.
Russell used a Euro step to maneuver around Jokic and went for a flying layup.
Russell is a player who relies on rhythm; his physical talent is not very good, putting him at a disadvantage near the basket.
Faried rushed in from one side and directly blocked the ball against the backboard.
Jokic grabbed the rebound.
Zeng Xingyang burst down the court again, Jokic passed the ball to the front, where Zeng Xingyang made an easy layup to score.
Zeng Xingyang played fiercely at the start of the game, but then slightly reduced his offensive frequency; he couldn’t attack every possession by himself.
Harris and Jokic’s offenses also gradually had some harvest.
The Lakers’ offense improved a bit after Lou Williams was substituted in, and they also gradually began scoring.
The first quarter quickly ended, with the score set at 41 to 21.
The Lakers were trailing by as many as 20 points at home.
"Zeng Xingyang played for 8 minutes in the first quarter, racking up 16 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block; his offensive and defensive capabilities are very dominant. The Lakers need to change their tactics in the second quarter, or else this game is over." O’Neal said.
"At the right time, they can have Kobe guard Zeng, so the Nuggets’ offense won’t be so easy to start." Miller suggested.
"Charles, why do you think Zeng scores so effortlessly?" Smith asked.
Barkley said seriously: "Zeng’s playing style is actually quite easy to analyze; in my view, he’s like Klay but with ball-handling skills."
"First, his three-point shooting is very accurate, which forces defenders to raise their center of gravity when defending him, giving Zeng the opportunity to get past them."
"Then, when Zeng usually chooses to go one-on-one, it’s typically big players who defend him."
"Against smaller defenders, he often collaborates with Nikola’s pick-and-rolls to break through."
"He’s really smart, very good at using his advantages to score mismatched points."
Miller added: "If Zeng breaks through or uses a pick-and-roll, he also has the ability to pass, facilitate, and stop for mid-range shots; he decides his way of attack based on whether the inside help defense is in place, making him quite indecipherable."
O’Neal said: "Honestly, this guy could actually play as a point guard; as a big guy, I can tell that whoever receives his passes feels very comfortable."
The commentators are all former NBA players and are very professional in their expertise.
Under their analysis, Zeng Xingyang’s offensive approaches were almost entirely laid bare.
After the second quarter started, Clarkson burst out with a wave, but Barton from the Nuggets responded, slightly narrowing the gap for the Lakers.
After returning to the starters, Zeng Xingyang faced the Lakers’ double-team tactics.
The Nuggets played steadily around Jokic’s facilitation.
During the middle of the second quarter, the Lakers’ second unit with Lou Williams exploded in consecutive scores, helping them chase back some points.
Compared to other Lakers players, Lou Williams was obviously much more efficient at scoring; he scored quite easily on the court, even Zeng Xingyang found it hard to limit him.
Lou Williams even pulled off a four-point play in front of Zeng Xingyang; it’s comparable to Harden’s drawing fouls, making defending him very daunting.
The Nuggets experienced some defensive issues.
There were some gaps in the defense during screens by Faried and Nelson.
Nelson is aging, his speed is slow, and his defensive reactions are slow.
As an inside player, Faried not only has the shortcomings of being short and lacking strong confrontation, but more importantly, he doesn’t play very smart, often choosing wrong defensive positions.
Lou Williams is very good at using screens; he synergizes well with Randall or Nance Jr.
He exploited the Nuggets’ defensive weak spots to gain quite a few points inside.
By halftime, the score was at 63 to 53.
In the locker room, Mike Malone continued to assign Zeng Xingyang to guard Lou Williams.