Durant and Westbrook have experienced some injuries one after another this season. Under such circumstances, it is not easy for the Thunder to achieve such a record.
Durant averaged 25.4 points per game and Westbrook averaged 28 points per game.
The exchange of points per game between the two was caused by injuries, with Durant suffering more injuries.
Adams has worked very hard this season. He averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds per game, and has firmly established himself as the Thunder's starting center.
He jumped the ball with Boban and was lucky enough to pass the ball.
Boban rarely missed a jump ball.
After winning the jump ball, Adams excitedly flexed his muscles with Boban.
"The Thunder were full of fighting spirit when they met the Lakers, and they didn't want to lose to Zhao Chen."
"Of course, many people believe that winning the championship last season was attributed to Zhao Chen. They should have a relationship of mutual achievement, so these Thunder players also want to prove themselves when they meet Zhao Chen."
"The defending champions are very strong. They have no fewer injuries than the Lakers, but their record is not far behind."
Thunder offense.
Zhao Chen mainly defends Westbrook.
After Zhao Chen left, Westbrook averaged 28 points per game this season, a full 7 points improvement compared to last season, with 8.6 assists and 7.6 rebounds, all of which were significant improvements.
Master Wei is also showing his all-around skills to the entire league.
Westbrook is likely to win the Most Improved Player Award this season...
Westbrook knew how difficult Zhao Chen's defense was, so he didn't take much chances and gave the ball to Durant first.
It is Covington who defends Durant. Except for Covington, the Lakers are in a zone defense position.
The Thunder's perimeter weakness is that only Durant has the ability to shoot three-pointers, while Robertson and Westbrook are negligible.
Covington defends Durant.
Durant dribbled continuously, and Adams moved up to block Covington.
Adams's screen quality was good, and Durant directly threw away Covington and rushed in.
Boban's help defense was slow, and Durant easily missed the rhythm and found a shot opportunity.
The iconic emergency stop at the free throw line!
"Shua"
A solid two points.
2 to 0.
Zhao Chen went over to encourage Boban and asked him to stand up as much as possible.
Durant can't let go of his mid-range shots. If he let 10 of them go, he would dare to hit all 10 of them.
"Boban is a good choice to protect the frame, but it is unrealistic for Scott to want him to defend mid-range and long-range shots. This gives Durant a good chance to make a shot." Barkley said.
"It's hard to tell the outcome of this game. Both teams have obvious strengths and weaknesses. The winner depends on how well their strengths are used. If their weaknesses are exposed, they will definitely be exposed." Kenny Smith said.
Although Zhao Chen finds Lei Lei difficult to deal with, he does not find it difficult to deal with him.
Zhao Chen has helpers. Although the helpers are just a group of rookies and cannot be said to be very stable, one or two can break out in almost every game.
The Lakers purely use numbers to accumulate this influence.
A single potential rookie will definitely not work, but a group of them will always work.
Given time and ball rights, they grew rapidly.
Lakers offense.
Zhao Chen dribbled to the top of the key.
Westbrook opened his hands and came over happily.
Westbrook did not intend to let Zhao Chen score easily.
His eyes were filled with the intention of competing with Zhao Chen.
"boom!"
Westbrook continued to give Zhao Chen physical confrontation and put pressure on Zhao Chen to dribble.
Westbrook knew how difficult it was for Zhao Chen to start, so he didn't let him start.
Westbrook's defense is very aggressive, and he often steals the ball and then delivers a one-stop dunk.
This puts pressure on the offensive point guard.
There was a lot of physical confrontation between the two, but the referee did not whistle.
"Zhao, you won't have a good chance." Westbrook bared his teeth and shouted at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen had no intention of arguing with Westbrook, but concentrated on looking for offensive opportunities.
Westbrook's defense is indeed very high-pressure, but he is too close to Zhao Chen.
This means that it is not difficult for him to limit Zhao Chen's breakthrough.
Zhao Chen dribbled the ball with his back and changed direction with his hips, then sprinted from the left to get rid of Westbrook.
Westbrook did not give up easily. After he was got rid of, he still chased Zhao Chen.
The Thunder's inside line is also well prepared for Zhao Chen's impact.
Zhao Chen correctly judged the Thunder's interior defensive intentions and did not rush in. Instead, he used his back to lean on Westbrook who was chasing behind.
Face frame and back fight!
The double attack between Robertson and Adams arrived.
Zhao Chen flicked the ball to the left and gave it to Kobe, who was in the open position.
Kobe was left open and without any hesitation, he shot a three-point jumper!
This season when Kobe played next to Zhao Chen, he gradually transformed into a 3D player.
The Lakers no longer need him to play singles in the low post.
Hit open shots, that's Kobe's job.
"Uh-huh!"
2 to 3!
Kobe is very competent.
The Lakers' three-point shooting output this season ranks first in the league. Not only do they shoot more, they also score more. This requires every outsider to have a certain degree of accuracy to survive in the Lakers.
Kobe and Zhao Chen high-fived each other. As the game entered the regular season, Kobe became more and more accustomed to his role. His mentality became calmer. Kobe felt that if he continued to play this way, he could play easily. By the age of 50....
"Kobe Bryant's three-pointers and Zhao Chen's assists. This season, Kobe averaged 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. His number of shots dropped a lot compared to previous seasons, but his efficiency But it has improved, which is an excellent phenomenon for Kobe."
"This is also the reason why the Lakers were able to achieve such a record this season. Kobe led by example and made changes."
"The teammates around Zhao Chen are all being influenced by him. This is a prerequisite for MVP. It makes every teammate better and the team's record better."
Barkley and Kenny Smith continue to discuss hot topics that fans like.
On the field.
The Thunder's offense comes again!
Westbrook initiated a pick-and-roll with Adams, and Zhao Chen's defense was broken by Westbrook.
Westbrook rushed to the basket, attracting a double attack from Jokic and Boban. Westbrook passed the ball to Adams in the middle.
Adams goes for a layup!
Adams reacted very quickly to this ball, but he still couldn't avoid Boban's long arm after turning around!
"boom!"
Boban blocked the ball directly.
Boban may not be able to defend the outside line, but the inside line will not be easy for others to succeed.
"Wow!!!"
The Lakers fans at the scene exclaimed. They liked this big man who joined the team midway.
Boban took advantage of Adams while standing.
Adams looked at Zhao Chen with a look of resentment.
This is your "new lover", so cruel...
The Thunder once again served the inbounds ball, and it was Durant who directly received Robertson's serve with the help of a screen and succeeded in a mid-range jumper!
"Uh-huh!"
4 to 3.
"The Lakers' interior defense won't have much of a problem now. The problem lies in their mid-range. Their mid-range can't keep up with the rhythm." Xu Jicheng said.
"Covington is enough to deal with ordinary small forwards, but it is difficult to guard Durant." Zhang Weiping said.
After Durant scored, he glared at Zhao Chen, full of provocation!
