The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 500 Rubio's Shooting
At the beginning of the last quarter, Zhang Xiaotian appeared on the field with a rotation lineup as usual.

At this time, the Nuggets made a strange decision. They replaced veteran Richard Jefferson, who had not played before, to defend Zhang Xiaotian.

Defensive experience is not bad, but Zhang Xiaotian is not a player who can be defended by experience.

Bullying veterans and rookies, in competitive sports, everyone has no pressure.

It took only 1 minute and 34 seconds for Zhang Xiaotian to lead the team to overtake the score.

The Nuggets didn't adjust immediately, because Mudiay played very well with their current lineup.

Their bench lineup was really good in this game. Although there was no matchup, Mudiay and Zhang Xiaotian made four mid-range shots, which helped the Nuggets to hold on to the score and survive half a quarter.

Nuggets coach Mike Malone suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment in strategizing. He replaced all the main players with a wave of his hand, and it was time for the final decision.

He probably thinks that Zhang Xiaotian has been consumed by the rotation, and their main players have been fully rested, sometimes taking down the Spurs.

However, things backfired. After the Nuggets' main lineup came up, they hit a few irons, but Zhang Xiaotian was still as stable as a dog.

Although Gary Harris has a better defense, he did not limit Zhang Xiaotian, and the Nuggets' defense was not good.

They turned to the inside, and Jokic hit two.

But the Spurs have already led by 7 points, and it is difficult for Jokic to play slowly in the paint to catch up with the score.

For some teams, 10 points is not a problem, but it is not easy for many teams to chase 5 points.

Then time passed and they started to get anxious.

The Nuggets have increased their shots from beyond the arc, but the Spurs have been defending against them.

As a result, instead of breaking out on the offensive end, the Nuggets were counterattacked by the Spurs and scored two three-pointers.

By the time Jamal Murray hit a three-pointer, the Nuggets were powerless, and the Spurs also won the home court by 11 points.

This is the end of January. The Spurs' results don't talk about experience, but they are certainly good.

The beginning of February has been a battle of great concern to the outside world. The Spurs played against the Rockets at home.

The Spurs didn't start well in this game, and they regretted losing the last 3 points.

After losing to the Rockets, the Rockets and the Spurs were only one win away, and the distance between the Spurs and the Warriors was only one win. The competition for the top three in the Western Conference was extremely fierce.

The Spurs will play the Jazz next, and it will be another head-to-head match. If they lose, they may fall to third.

The Spurs held back the Jazz last season, but this season the Jazz changed their core, so they are not afraid of the Spurs.

This time Mitchell had a small problem and was unable to play. It stands to reason that the Spurs have an absolute advantage.

Unexpectedly, there was a problem in the opening game. Rubio scored 14 points on [-] of [-] shots.

Shooting has never been Rubio's specialty. After coming to the Jazz, his shooting level has improved slightly, but it has not reached the point where the Spurs are dedicated to guarding against it.

As a result, this buddy hit every three-pointer with a hundred shots, and he caught the Spurs by surprise.

In the game, he didn't start well and lost. This time Zhang Xiaotian didn't dare to neglect in the slightest, and started to exert his strength directly.

Fortunately, Aldridge feels pretty good, and the Spurs' three strong points of attack have also been brought into play.

The result is two good defensive teams fighting each other desperately on the field.

Lu Yuanwai may have been on the hook today. By the second quarter, the Spurs had already paid attention to him, and his shooting percentage was still 100%. Fortunately, he didn't take a lot of shots, otherwise this game would not be played.

Of course, it's a joke that the game is not played. Rubio's biggest threat is organization. The Spurs can't just prevent his shots, if they often let him shoot before.

The players in the first position feel crazy, especially the players who are good at organizing are really difficult to guard against.

Popovich was very calm and told the players to limit other points. Rubio's point is to try not to give him an open shot, and then force the opponent on the offensive end.

The Jazz lacks the point of Mitchell, and if the Spurs can't overwhelm the opponent on the offensive end, they can also go to the southeast branch.

But the Jazz's three-pointer today is a bit evil, not just Rubio.

Fortunately, the Spurs' defense is still very strong, and they did not let the opponent die easily.

He was shot by the Rockets in front of him, so he was vigilant.

In the third quarter, Rubio's defense of the Spurs has been upgraded to another level.

Now Rubio can only organize honestly. He is not a player who is particularly good at attacking. It is not that difficult to lock him down.

With one less plug-in point, the Spurs' offense is obviously better than the opponent's.

The Spurs took the lead for a while, but after Zhang Xiaotian went to rest, the Jazz's substitute hit consecutive three-pointers to turn the score back.

Unlike last season, after Hood played the sixth man, he gave the Jazz more continuous firepower, and the players' mid-range and long-range shots were much stronger.

The time has come to the last quarter, and the outcome will be decided even if it is not decided.

Both sides attach great importance to this game. The Spurs do not want to lose in a row, while the Jazz must cherish every victory. The competition for the top eight in the Western Conference is fierce, and the Jazz is also a member of the team competing for the playoffs.

After Hayward left, the Jazz didn't have a striker who could support Xiaotian, so they came up in the fourth quarter to attack directly.

Zhang Xiaotian was even more straightforward, directing the ball to Danny Green, who hit a three-pointer.

Rubio is not easy to defend today, Zhang Xiaotian belongs to the type that is difficult to defend every day, not only his passing ability, but when needed, he can also forcibly score against the defense.

Within a minute, Jazz head coach Quinn Snyder knew something was wrong.

He quickly replaced Joe Ingles and Gobert, and Ingles was in front, and Gobert was in the defense to create some trouble for Zhang Xiaotian.

Moreover, Ingles also consumed Zhang Xiaotian a little on the offensive end, but he couldn't keep up.

Coach Schneider was also decisive, taking advantage of the team's slight advantage, he hurried to work hard.

The Jazz is on the main lineup, Zhang Xiaotian is really not so easy after he hits the inside, but he still has no problem opening and closing the ball. The key is that he also has a perverted shooting rate on the outside.

He first used his footsteps to avoid the defense and shot one directly from the outside, and then broke through twice to score the ball. Even if the Jazz knew that he was likely to score, it was impossible not to help defend.

This is the same as defending James, there is no way.

The opponent also knows that if they want to win the Spurs, they must definitely keep up on the offensive end.

The Jazz's offense today is also really good. Rubio scored 5 points in a row and his teammate hit a three-pointer.

The score between the two sides was at a stalemate. Entering the second half of the final quarter, both sides had to come up with lineups at critical moments.

On the first position, Popovich considered it carefully and chose Evans.

Murray's defense is better, but at the last moment, the old man still wants to attack, and Danny Green is also there. When the Spurs are fighting for their lives, they are all big and small.

(End of this chapter)