The strongest basket king

Chapter 144 The New Year

Chapter 144 The New Year

On the first day of the new year, the Nuggets are at home to meet the challenge of the Clippers.

Both Jordan and Griffin are shorter than Xiang Chu. Xiang Chu can try new magic skills well. Last time, he was a little hasty and didn't achieve the best results.

The Clippers now have a chance to hit No. [-] in the West, and naturally want to work hard to win away games.

Moreover, they have already won the longest 17-game winning streak in team history.

The Nuggets' starting lineup changed today. Ty Lawson was injured in the confrontation with the Grizzlies and needs to rest for recovery.

A strong point on the outside was absent, but the Nuggets started the game full of momentum.

The old Miller played very well, and he did not make random shots and passed the ball in place. In fact, there is a strong inside line like Xiang Chu, and a scorer like Gallinari on the front line. Ty Lawson is not the most suitable first position for the Nuggets. Of course, old Miller Le is too, he is a bit too old, but it is not a problem to make a cameo once in a while.

In this game, the Nuggets first started to attack from the outside. Now more and more teams know about Xiang Chu's routine. There is no need to forcibly start from his point if they are targeting him.

However, he was different from the last time he played against the Clippers. Jordan was still trying to push him outside, but after Xiang Chu received the ball, he turned around and hit the ball with a hook.

Then he showed some inside footsteps and made Jordan's foul.

Little Jordan's defense depends on his body. Xiang Chu can beat him without any new moves, and now he can fight as he wants.

At the Nuggets' home court, the Clippers' offensive efficiency was mediocre, and Griffin's shooting percentage dropped somewhat.

In the main contest in the first quarter, the Nuggets suppressed the Clippers.

But the Clippers' substitutes are indeed stronger, especially the Nuggets' strongest substitute this season, Chandler, who has been plagued by injuries. The old Miller started again this time. Already.

Facing the strangling of Crawford, Bledsoe and Barnes, the Nuggets' lead gradually narrowed.

But after the main players played, the Nuggets' advantage came back. In addition to Xiang Chu, Gallinari also gave the Clippers a big blow. The combination of the two internally and externally re-established the team's leading edge.

At the end of the first half, Crawford hit the buzzer, but the Nuggets still led by 5 points.

In this game, the Nuggets did not allow the opponent to shoot from beyond the three-point line, so they had a stronger control over the situation on the court.

George Karl still doesn't pay enough attention to three-pointers. He coached early, and his thinking didn't fully follow the pace of the league's development for a while. Popovich did a good job in this regard.

If George Karl changed his mind a little bit, the Nuggets could be stronger.

In fact, the Clippers also want to imitate the Grizzlies' strategy against Xiang Chu. Unfortunately, neither of their insiders is of this type, but they may be knocked out by the Nuggets.

In the third quarter, the Clippers chose to increase the outside attack, but unfortunately the effect was not good.

And the inside line was once again ruled by Xiang Chu.

"Xiang Chu's low-post singles, the growth of his offensive skills is very obvious, Jordan was picked up again, and Xiang Chu stood on the free throw line again."

"Xiang Chu has turned over and made two jump shots earlier, and Jordan's reaction is also helpless."

"Iguodala went inside, not good, Griffin has also fouled four times, the Nuggets played very resolutely today, they have the determination of revenge."

"Paul missed a shot and the Clippers are already behind by double digits. Their winning streak may end in the hands of the Nuggets, but this may not be a bad thing for them. The Clippers' goal this season is the championship and they are obsessed with winning streaks." will consume them."

This time Fournier got the chance to play, and he hit a three-pointer as soon as he came up. During the rotation period, the score gap between the two sides further widened.

Xiang Chu decided that the team should give Fournier more opportunities. This buddy is a rare shooter on the team. Even if he defends almost, it doesn't matter.

In the final quarter, the Clippers' substitutes played well and continued their lives, but after the main players came on the field, the efforts of the substitute players were ruined in a few minutes.

They changed to a small lineup at the last moment, but their three-pointers today were not accurate, and with Xiang Chu's steady output on the field, they could only accept the fact that the winning streak was ended.

"All of us played a bit slower tonight," Griffin said after the game. "We have to play better. Now we can't rest or cry, and we can't lose confidence because of it. One of the great things about the NBA is that, We'll have the next game soon."

Paul said after the game that the team's poor touch was the reason for the loss, "Maybe there were two or three three-pointers, and they blocked our faces with their hands. But more often, we created shooting opportunities, but it was Missing shots. So many open shots, it hasn’t happened in a while.”

Now Xiang Chu is also the subject of interviews that the media likes to interview. He scored a game-high 29 points and 13 rebounds in this game. He laughed and talked with reporters, "We had some troubles at the beginning of this season, but now we have overcome most of them. We will move towards our goal step by step.”

"As for my offense, I've already said that, I work hard every day."

Bryant also expressed his views on the game in Los Angeles, "I'm glad it's not just us getting ass kicked by Denver."

The Lakers are now tenth in the Western Conference, and there is still some distance from the playoffs. Kobe is also enjoying himself while suffering.

Although the Clippers lost the game, they are still second in the Western Conference, which is many times better than the Lakers.

The Nuggets are still far from the top four in the Western Conference, but they are only two and a half games away from the fifth Warriors in the Western Conference. Maybe there is a chance to catch up before the All-Stars.

However, there are also a few teams behind them. In addition to the Suns, Hornets, and Kings in the West, there is not such a big gap between 6th and 12th.

On January 1, the Nuggets sat at home and won the challenge of the ninth Timberwolves in the West.

The Timberwolves only need to win one game to enter the top eight, and their ranking is so entangled.

The Timberwolves' starting lineup has changed, Rubio is injured, and the undrafted player they signed directly this year, Alexey Sheved, was brought up and played well.

Teams with inside lines are all impressed by Xiang Chu, and their restrictions on Xiang Chu are often ranked first. The Timberwolves must let Pekovic be the meat shield again.

At the start of the game, Sheved hit a three-pointer.

The old Miller has good organizational skills, but he moves slowly and has some defensive disadvantages. Both of the Nuggets' No. [-] position are defensive loopholes. Ty Lawson is coming back this time, but the team arranged for him to watch the situation as a substitute.

The Nuggets handed the ball to Xiang Chu and let him play in the low post. With his new offensive skills, Xiang Chu was much more flexible on the offensive end, and Pekovic was also very difficult to defend.

(End of this chapter)