Spurs beat Rockets: muddy battle; Jokic s triple-double? No more

The Spurs beat the Rockets in a chaotic battle: a coming-of-age ceremony for the whole team? Can you win without relying on the literary class?

Wenban Yama started the season with five double-doubles, averaging 30 points and 15 rebounds per game, and the Spurs won five consecutive games. After that, Wenban Yama encountered strategies such as flanking, small defense, large cutting, forcing jumpers, etc. There was no double-double in two games, and the Spurs lost two consecutive games. The Rockets have won five consecutive games by changing formations and speeding up the meat grinder.

Wenban Yama didn’t have a double-double for the third consecutive game today, but the Spurs won: they could have won without relying on Wenban’s 30+15.

Although Wenban’s 18 points in the second half were the most important, the Spurs won as a team.

Champaigny, Vassell, and Barnes used Wenban's containment power to score three-pointers like rain; Castle speeded up to find open spaces. This was the Spurs' general strategy. Expanding defense and applying pressure, the Rockets shot 60% of the three-pointers in the first three quarters, but Durant was forced to handle the ball a lot: 6 turnovers in the three quarters.

The Rockets' best chance: Shen Jing was slapped in the face by Wen Ban in the fourth quarter, and Wen Ban committed 5 fouls. However...

Durant missed consecutive shots and committed an offensive foul; the Spurs stood firm on the outside, and Barnes was allowed to hit a three-pointer. At that time, the courtside commentator laughed:

"Barnes and Curry played together, and he played very Curry today!"

- I thought: And Barnes is Durant's predecessor in the Warriors? ...

When the Rockets caught up to 3 points, they went into zone defense. The most critical moment of the game appeared. The Spurs' decision:

-Vinban Yama went to the line to provide support, and Castle fed Champagne with a long shot from the bottom corner.

——Wenbanyama and Castle played a two-man game, and Castle made an inside cut.

——Wenban missed a shot, Castle grabbed the offensive rebound and fed Champagnie a long shot, opening up the score by 6 points.

——Wenban missed another layup, Castle made up the score, and still got 6 points.

- Vassell steals the ball, Castle sends a Paul-style plate feed, and Wenban backs up Amen, opening up by 8 points.

The game actually ended at this time.

The Rockets are the most turbulent team in the league. They played seven games with the Warriors last season and had five consecutive wins this season. Before today, they ranked first in the league in offense and fifth in defense.

But the Spurs' rules held down everything inside the three-point line - Durant made 24 points on 18 shots but made 8 turnovers - while the offense continued to be troubled by Benyama, Barnes scored 24 points that were equal to Durant; Champany had a perfect 3D performance with 6 three-pointers and 5 steals; Vassell was competing with Adams to "who is the most emotional cheerleader", and Kelden had a game-high 5 offensive rebounds.

And the fact that Castle was the best in the game.

5 of 12 shots and 5 turnovers. Normally, Castle should be scolded, but Castle had 13 assists today and two priceless offensive rebounds at critical moments.

Chasing for Vassell's long shot and Champagne's long shot to establish the advantage in the third quarter; and then in the last 9 minutes, Castle had 7 assists: Paul's best form last season was just like this.

Instigate Wenban's pick-and-roll and feed Wenban alley-oops; work with Wenban in the high post to break the zone defense. If he can't break it, he rushes to two offensive rebounds and gives the ball to the ball in the chaos.

When Bunyama came off the field, it was Castle who was guarding Shen Jing with his head raised.

He is still not a perfect organizer with commanding decisions, but today when he speeded up and looked for his teammates by any means necessary to win, I wonder if Durant thought of the Thunder No. 0 who selflessly ran to pass the ball to him ten years ago? ——Especially today, Durant had to get the ball from the center circle.

Against the heat, against the sun, against the Lakers, Wenban Yama was drowned in the crowd, and it remains the same today. So today the Spurs didn't win because of the condescending aliens in the liberal arts class, but they won because of the struggling of Castle, Keldon, and Champagne.

Normally, the Rockets disrupted the game and set fire to the prairie fire, but today it was the Spurs who fought for every inch of the ground and won.

It is not difficult to win a chaotic battle, but if you win a strangulation battle from Uduka's team, the scars can be used as medals.

This is probably the first time this season:

The Spurs are not "Alien Benyama and his assistants won the science and technology game."

But "The Spurs, a team with a strong armor, won a muddy battle."

Jokic scored 26+9+9 in the three quarters against the Warriors today. He is very close to his sixth triple-double in the eighth game of the season. Don't forget it - it can be considered a kind of dominance.

Luka's dominance is averaging 40+11+9 per game. Giannis' dominance is 33+13+7 in 32 minutes per game.

Alexander’s dominance is: today’s tenth game of the season, the fifth time he played in three quarters, and the ninth game with 30+ points.

The second in charge stopped playing, and the third and fourth in charge took turns to rest. He also allowed the Thunder to rank first in the league.

Jokic's dominance is: walking with a triple-double, and not wanting a triple-double that comes to his mouth.

Curry is not here today, so there is no suspense in the game. The Nuggets didn't have the intensity, the Warriors didn't provoke them, and Dream Chasers didn't try to save the fire. In the second quarter, both sides were almost tacit.

Warriors: "Let Kuminga practice holding the ball."

Nuggets: "Understood."

Statistically speaking, Kuminga scored 6 points on 3-for-10 today, his worst performance this season, but considering that we are asking him to practice mobilizing, can we understand it? Several of his points in the second quarter showed vision.

In the third quarter, Kuminga passed the ball out of bounds and missed a layup. After an offensive rebound, Gordon half let him go, and Kuminga hit the first goal. In the next round, Jokic almost ignored Kuminga and passed a pass to Gordon that went out of bounds. In those two rounds, it was like both sides were giving Kuming more confidence.

Moody and Podger showed their talents today: It’s not that they didn’t work hard, but when they ran into the long crowd of the Nuggets, they could only gamble on their luck from long range. Richard relies entirely on hard work and can match Braun in his rookie year with the Nuggets. Post is ambitious and smart; but for planning, he still needs to practice Kuminga..

Speaking of Post, what was interesting today was the matchup between him and Valanciunas: at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Varan "raised his arm to foul Post, and Post avoided it; Varan looked for the hand, and Post retreated; Varan couldn't find the hand, cut inside, faked the pass and then shot long-range, draining the basket."

In the next round, Post faced the basket and attacked Varan, but failed. He faked a shot, but Varan refused; Post distributed the ball.

In these two rounds, the newborn calf meets the old Jianghu. Varan is a trap at every step, and Post is working hard at every step.

is also good.

With today's victory, the Nuggets only lost the overtime against the Warriors at the beginning of the season and the last goal against the Trail Blazers.

They are very strong, calm, and collected. The evidence is that Jokic scored 0 free throws in the three quarters today, and no need for a triple-double.

And, this season, Jokic averaged 24.1 points and 4.7 free throws per game, the lowest in seven years - but led the NBA in assists per game with 12, and his 2.7 turnovers were the lowest in eight years.

Don’t shoot, pass more, and go less to the basket: Jokic’s two-point shooting percentage this season is a terrible 77%—10 of 12 today—but he has been throwing three-pointers.

In addition to "I'm too lazy to go to the basket, save some energy" and "I throw three-pointers to open up space, so Gordon can cut inside and dunk", there is another reason.

In last season's playoffs, after the Nuggets missed the basket, their opponents' true shooting percentage in the next round was 79% - conversely: the champion Thunder had 57%. East Crown Pacers 45%.

Meaning: The Thunder and Pacers had good enough defense, and they had time to run back even if they missed shots at the basket; but the Nuggets missed at the basket, and when the other side counterattacked, Jokic had to run to death: If he was the one who missed the basket, he would have to be beaten on the butt.

So there is a change for the Nuggets this season: More attacks on the basket are left to Gordon, Braun or even Watson, and Jokic goes to the basket? That's the final option:

A scary stat: Jokic shot 96% from the basket and 68% from the basket this season. When he steps three meters from the basket, he basically has it, but most of the time he doesn't bother to get in: In the regular season two years ago, 71% of his shots were within 10 feet of the basket; this season? 56%.

If you have meat, you have to use it sparingly.

Today, Jokic attacked the basket at the beginning of the first quarter to widen the point difference, but did not go to the basket in the second quarter. In the third quarter, he made continuous inward hook shots, so he could rest in the fourth quarter.

"You can go to the basket if you want me to, but let me rest; triple-double? No, I have to think about my little pony."