Chapter 406: Chapter 318, Crazy Bombardment Battle!
Time-out is over.
It’s the Warriors’ offense.
Curry and Green initiate a pick-and-roll.
Pope and Gordon’s defense has no loopholes. After using the screen, Curry finds no space and passes the ball to Green, who is rolling down.
Green attracts double-teams from Butler and Pope on the move. If he were a more aggressive inside player, he might attack now, facing two smaller defenders, likely drawing a foul.
But Green doesn’t; he chooses to pass the ball to Thompson in the corner.
Thompson quickly shoots a three-pointer after receiving the ball.
"Swish!"
Bullseye!!
to 34.
Now it’s the Nuggets’ offense.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic in a pick-and-roll, Zeng Xingyang dribbles and changes direction to drive inside, and the Warriors’ defense shrinks.
Zeng Xingyang dishes the ball outside to Butler while on the move.
Butler is left open again beyond the arc, but instead of shooting, he takes a big step, driving in with the ball.
Thompson rushes over to contest Butler.
"Bang!"
Butler draws a foul on Thompson.
Butler steps up to the free throw line.
The first free throw misses!
After adjusting, he makes the second.
to 34.
Another Warriors’ offense.
The fans at Oracle Arena keep supporting the Warriors with cheers.
This play revolves around Thompson and Curry’s positioning.
Durant holds the ball at the top of the arc, drawing Zeng Xingyang’s attention. Green and Pachulia set screens on either side for the Splash Brothers.
Thompson uses Green’s screen to lose Butler, finding an open spot at a 30-degree angle on the right side.
Durant feints a move and then passes to Thompson.
Durant’s dribble further compresses the Nuggets’ defense, allowing Thompson to receive the ball outside and shoot again.
"Swish!"
to 37.
The Oracle Center crowd’s momentum reaches a peak.
The Nuggets make a passing error on the next possession; Jokic gets stripped by Green while passing to Gordon underneath the basket.
Curry grabs the ball and initiates a fast break. During the high-speed run, the Nuggets’ defense miscommunicates as both Butler and Pope chase down Thompson, leaving the ball-handling Curry open.
Even though the lapse was momentary, Curry, at the top of the arc, decisively pulls up for a three-pointer.
"Swish!"
to 40.
After scoring, Curry spreads his arms and shakes his head playfully.
The Nuggets players see this and feel like punching him.
Durant excitedly comes over to high-five Curry.
Playing for the Warriors has its perks; when the team is in trouble, it’s not just one person solving it.
The Warriors have two top-notch shooters in the league, Curry and Thompson, who can easily get the ball into the basket.
The Warriors’ three-shot surge leaves the Nuggets just a bit baffled.
The crowd’s chants grow louder, and Zeng Xingyang feels the Warriors’ current threat.
Even though a 10-point lead seems significant, for the Warriors, catching up is easy.
They can quickly even up the score with a barrage of threes, which is why the Warriors managed to come from behind to beat many teams this season.
Many teams fail to keep up with the Warriors’ pace in transition, finding themselves outscored and surpassed before they realize it.
Ma Long is preparing to call a time-out, but Zeng Xingyang signals to keep playing.
Zeng Xingyang dribbles to the frontcourt, two meters from the right three-point line, facing Durant’s defense, and starts dribbling with crossovers.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The Warriors still don’t double-team Zeng Xingyang, letting Durant handle him instead.
Durant’s quickness is too slow for Zeng Xingyang, who quickly sheds Durant with a series of crossovers and a step-back.
When Zeng Xingyang shoots from a meter outside the top arc, Durant thinks he’s about to drive.
"F*ck, shooting off the dribble like that is insane."
"KD alone can’t keep up."
"Zeng Xingyang’s pace is truly swift."
"KD is agile for a forward, yet still can’t match him."
As the crowd cheers, the basketball arcs beautifully through the air.
"Swish!"
Bullseye!!
The basketball goes right through the net.
to 40.
This three-pointer slightly quiets the crowd.
Zeng Xingyang surveys the court, maintaining his dominance.
It’s the Warriors’ turn to attack.
Green dribbles to the frontcourt, waiting once again for Curry and Thompson’s positioning.
This time, the Nuggets employ a strategy of switching on everything, denying easy chances for the Warriors’ two shooters.
But through continuous movement and screens, Curry quickly finds a mismatch with Jokic.
Green lobs the ball over.
Curry faces Jokic beyond the right arc, faking a hesitation move that leaves Jokic off-balance.
It’s inevitable; Curry’s three-point threat is too intimidating.
Curry drives inside, using another fake to get past Butler, and makes a floating layup on the move.
Zeng Xingyang rushes over to block, but it’s too late.
"Swish!"
to 42.
Curry scores again.
Durant laughs and comes over for another high-five.
"They can’t stop you," Durant shouts enthusiastically.
"Feels great to have someone to lean on, doesn’t it? Weakling," Zeng Xingyang retorts without hesitation.
Durant’s face abruptly darkens at Zeng Xingyang’s words.
Seeing this, Curry quickly senses the tension: "KD, don’t let it get to you."
Durant nods, choosing to remain silent.
The Nuggets attack once more.
Zeng Xingyang moves to the frontcourt, initiating a pick-and-roll with Jokic.
Jokic blocks Durant, allowing Zeng Xingyang to dribble sideways.
Pachulia and Durant both converge on Zeng Xingyang for the double-team.
Everyone on the Warriors knows that to stop the Nuggets, they must contain Zeng Xingyang’s offense; otherwise, they’ll never catch up.
As Zeng Xingyang moves laterally, he spots a gap between Pachulia and Durant and bounces a perfect pass to the rolling Jokic.
Green rushes for help defense but is too late; Jokic raises and gently tosses the ball into the basket.
to 42.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic step up in sequence to maintain the Nuggets’ scoring advantage.
Warriors back on offense.
Green advances the ball to the frontcourt and passes to the right side for Curry.
Curry sets up another pick-and-roll with Pachulia, trying to exploit the mismatch with Jokic again.
But this time, Pope manages to sneak around the screen, preventing the mismatch.
Curry attempts to shake off Pope with one-on-one dribbling.
However, without a screen, it’s tough to completely lose Pope’s defense.
Running out of options, Curry passes to Durant.
Durant takes the ball on the right-side free-throw line.
Durant faces up, preparing to use a series of fakes to shift Zeng Xingyang’s center of gravity before attacking.
But Zeng Xingyang doesn’t fall for Durant’s fakes; instead, he watches carefully as Durant nearly brings the ball close.
"Slap!"
He decisively makes a steal.
Zeng Xingyang skillfully strips the ball away.
A successful steal!