New York Knicks offense.
Jeremy Lin advanced with the ball, and after halftime he looked for opportunities at the top of the key. After getting the ball, he did not panic when facing Eric Gordon who came up to defend him. Instead, he looked at the right opportunity and gave the ball to Zhao Feiyang on the wing.
Snapped.
Zhao Feiyang received the pass.
After getting the ball, he was quickly spotted by James Harden.
The two faced each other, and Harden put on a defensive posture to meet Zhao Feiyang's attack. Zhao Feiyang changed directions twice and started to shake. Before Harden could reach out his hand to interfere, Zhao Feiyang tested Harden with a feint. When Harden was stunned for a moment, Zhao Feiyang suddenly accelerated with the ball and rushed out.
Harden was passed smoothly, and Zhao Feiyang also dribbled the ball into the basket.
When Rockets big man Clint Capela came up, Zhao Feiyang threw an empty pass. DeAndre Jordan behind him jumped up and smashed the ball in with an alley-oop dunk. basket.
It was the Rockets' turn to serve.
Gordon advanced with the ball and gave the ball to Harden before halftime was over.
Harden plays one-on-one with the ball.
Facing Zhao Feiyang's marking, Harden was dribbling slowly one second before suddenly changing direction from right to left the next second. His movements were very fast and he did shake Zhao Feiyang away, but Zhao Feiyang's reaction was also timely. When Harden rushed into the two zones and was about to take action, Zhao Feiyang had already stretched out his hand and stuck to Harden's side.
As long as Harden jumps up, Zhao Feiyang will immediately block the shot.
boom.
Harden chose to be more cautious at the last moment and gave the ball to James Ennis on the wing instead of forcing a layup.
However, no one expected that after Harden gave the ball away, Ennis did not take a shot. After Harden once again stood on the three-point line at a 45-degree angle on the left, Ennis immediately threw the ball into Harden's hands.
Harden raised the basketball and threw it decisively.
Zhao Feiyang's defense was half a beat too slow. Even though he jumped up and rushed towards the former, he could only watch helplessly as the opponent threw the ball.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
Harden's three-pointer caught Zhao Feiyang off guard.
The battle between the two top defenders made the fans extremely excited.
The game goes on.
More than two minutes later, Zhao Feiyang once again held the ball in singles.
This time he found the top position of the arc, but he did not choose to force a breakthrough. Instead, Porzingis moved up from the inside to a high position to help him cover.
This time Harden was blocked as soon as he got close to him. Zhao Feiyang took advantage of the situation and rushed into the two zones with the ball. Porzingis also jumped decisively to receive the alley-oop.
boom.
The two cooperated and scored steadily.
It was the Rockets' turn to fight back.
Harden took the initiative to hold the ball and called his teammate Ennis to cover in the face of Zhao Feiyang's interference. Taking advantage of Ennis's pick-and-roll, Harden rushed into the basket area with the ball.
However, the Knicks' basket is not comparable to that of the Rockets. Both DeAndre Jordan and Porzingis are enough to give Harden a drink.
Therefore, Harden quickly encountered interference from two major insiders.
This time he still didn't flinch, and made a throw before the two big insiders came up to make up the position.
Uh-huh.
The basketball fell steadily into the basket.
What is different from the past is that this time it is still a hollow ball.
The competition and competition between the two sides made the game more exciting.
The Knicks are gradually gaining an advantage with the strength of their core lineup. Zhao Feiyang and others have hot touches on the outside, while they have two core players on the inside to protect rebounds and score at the basket.
For the Rockets, Harden is the one they can rely on most.
But Harden's shooting percentage dropped significantly after encountering Zhao Feiyang's defense. Especially in the middle of the second quarter, Harden almost failed to make any long shots except for breaking through.
This gap also caused the two sides to gradually distance themselves. By the end of the second quarter, the Knicks and Rockets were tied at 64-59.
The difference of 5 points is not much.
It seems that the Knicks' super big man did not allow the Rockets to be crushed.
Beep.
Halftime came and the two sides entered the locker room.
Head coach Norman Thomas called everyone together and analyzed the problems in the first half. Coach Thomas isn't blaming anyone considering the lead his team is in.
"Kristaps, DeAndre, your two defenses still need to be strengthened... Of course, I don't blame you... You have just come back, so be careful... ."
"The Rockets' biggest threat to us is James. In the second half, we must focus on keeping an eye on him and double-team when necessary..."
Beep.
The timer sounds and the second half has arrived.
Third quarter time.
The Knicks replaced Zhao Feiyang and replaced Zach LaVine and Dennis Smith Jr. The wing position was also replaced by Kevin Knox, and DeAndre Jordan and Howard were paired inside.
For the Rockets, Harden temporarily left the game due to excessive physical exertion, and Chris Paul appeared again.
Carmelo Anthony also came up again on the wing.
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded and the Rockets served.
Paul advanced with the ball, and Dennis Jr. was marking him. The latter knew that Paul was difficult to deal with, so he took a very serious stance to deal with it.
Unexpectedly, the two met each other, and Paul suddenly accelerated and rushed out. Dennis Jr. tried to block it, but Paul suddenly pulled the ball back, followed by a behind-the-back dribble. Little Dennis didn't even react before he was knocked to the ground by Paul's dribbling.
The whole audience exclaimed.
After knocking down Dennis Jr., Paul continued to rush to the basket. His steps were fast and his movements were very agile. However, the moment he rushed into the penalty area and threw the basketball, Jordan jumped high and slapped his shot away.
Snapped.
A big shot was sent, and the whole audience screamed again.
Paul was helpless about this.
Jordan was his close teammate in the past, but now both sides have their own masters, and they didn't hesitate at all when it was time to take action!
The basketball fell out, and LaVine quickly counterattacked with the ball.
Paul was chasing after him while LaVine raised the basketball in front and prepared for a dunk. When he was about to jump up, Paul, who was catching up, pulled LaVine down.
Some of these defensive moves were too large, and some were too rough, so that LaVine lost his balance during the jump and fell directly.
call out.
The referee whistle sounded.
LaVine fell while holding the ball, and Paul, who was pulling him, was given a technical foul by the referee.
"Zach!"
"How are you?"
After LaVine fell to the ground, Howard was the first to ask. As the veteran championship team of the Timberwolves, Howard and LaVine have different feelings.
"Damn it!"
"My butt hurts..."
Raven covered her butt with a look of discomfort.
Because he didn't know what was going on with LaVine, coach Thomas decisively moved him to the bench and called the next timeout.
