The Warriors are small and big, and the game is tense and exciting.
The Warriors and Nuggets are both title-winning favourites this season, but they have very different styles. From the beginning of the team, golden states have been centered on the splash brothers, and the core of the Nuggets is obviously Jokic. The two teams have their own strengths, and it is time to see who can better strangle the core of the other side.
Today's game, the Warriors won the game, avoided being swept by the opponent, and Curry also scored the 20,000-point milestone. However, during this period, Mr. Yo can average 28 points, 15.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, exposing the Warriors' internal problems. The two teams are potential opponents in the playoffs, at this time, Warriors fans may be worried, even if the dream returns, the Warriors can withstand the Nuggets' internal impact?
The Warriors are big with small
The Warriors eventually won the Nuggets 113-102, but the course of the game was not as easy as the results showed. If you watch the first two and a half quarters of this game, the Warriors' performance can really be described as lifeless. The turning point of the game came with 6 minutes and 10 seconds left in the third quarter, when Jokic received his fourth foul and could only bite his finger off the court and think about it.
The Nuggets with Jokic and the Nuggets without Jokic are two completely different teams, and the data shows that this season, when Jokic is resting, the Nuggets can only score 102.4 points per 100 rounds, and the points conceded per game reach 122.9 points. By way of conversion, you can understand that when Jokic was there, the Nuggets were the strongest, stronger than the Suns. But when Jokic went off the bench, the Nuggets were one notch worse than the league's worst Pistons.
This season, another feature of the Nuggets is that they are in the league in their scoring ability in the first and second quarters, respectively, but the third and fourth quarters are only ranked 25th in the league. And that's what it means for the Nuggets to need second and third stars to come back as quickly as possible, and with just one Jokic, they're really tired enough.
Of course, the matter is man-made, and the Warriors can turn the situation around, not only because Jokic is off, but also because they adjusted their strategy in time and seized the opportunity. Seeing that Jokic's inside line was given, Kerr simply replaced Looney and Moody early in the third quarter, replaced by Bjelica and Poole, the Warriors all five people have outside projection capabilities, and the speed of the small lineup attack increases, which has Jokic's fourth foul. Also jealous of the Warriors' small lineup moving too fast, Malone did not dare to send Cousins early, and the team was almost crushed.
Playing ball is the same as fighting, paying attention to one drum, then declining, three and exhausting, Jokic's end, the momentum quickly shifted to the Side of the Warriors. When the teacher returned, he found that the team could not come back.
This season, many fans have complained about Cole's coaching at key moments, but seeing Malone's performance, someone may apologize to Cole. In the fourth quarter of the game, the warriors did the most correct thing, that is, finally remembered the bag sandwich Jokic. The Warriors initially continued a small lineup, using Bjelica, but in the case of opponents gradually narrowing the point gap, they decisively replaced Looney.
Today's Nuggets are actually a team with an imbalance between the inside and outside. The Warriors' strategy tested the Nuggets' projection ability, resulting in the Nuggets shooting 7 of 31 three-pointers, shooting only 22.6%, which can be said to be in the middle.
The Warriors' victory was thrilling, but after winning, they still trailed 3-1 in the season showdown. If you want to talk about the best team in the league against the Nuggets, it is estimated that many people will think of last season's Suns, the Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns easily defeated opponents. Throughout the series, Paul averaged 25.5 points per game, shooting 62.7% from the field and 75% from three-point range.
Curry also has the ability of the league's top to play small, but unlike Paul's playoff one-on-one, what Curry did was to seize on the problem of teacher's slow pace and foul crisis, and two consecutive raids on the inside to score key points. In the final five minutes of the third and fourth quarters, Curry scored a total of 21 points, while the entire Nuggets scored only 11 points. At the crucial moment, without mercy, Curry once again presented a superstar.
Curry is undoubtedly the first contributor to the Warriors' wins, but Poole's performance is equally creditable. It is estimated that everyone will not think that one day at a critical moment to Curry to do the demolition, it is Poole, the Nuggets' bag clip, let them pay the price of two three points. In today's game, Poole had 21 points and 7 assists, plus-minus of +29, while in the last five games, Poole averaged 23.8 points per game, shooting 61.1% from the field and 59% from three-point range.
After this game, poole and Klay who should start will definitely be discussed again, since Klay's comeback, splash does not seem to have the power of the past, the Warriors' record is not so satisfactory.
The Nuggets hit the Warriors' pain points
Recently, the NBA's highlights are really clearly arranged by the league schedule. Today's two focus battles are the Nets against Philadelphia and the Warriors challenging the Nuggets. In addition to the personal entanglement, another highlight of the two games is the first round of previews of potential playoffs.
After today's game, it is increasingly likely that the two teams will continue to play each other in the first round. After winning, the Warriors' 45-22 record remains third in the West, while the Nuggets are sixth in the West with 40 wins and 27 losses. Considering injuries and the difficulty of the schedule, according to the prediction of the Ticketball Reference, the Warriors have a 39.4% chance of finishing third in the West, while the Nuggets have a 43% chance of finishing sixth in the West.
If it is in previous years, the record of sixth place in the West shows that your team is more or less flawed, and it is difficult to enter the NBA championship competition. But this year's Nuggets are not the same, they have been plagued by injuries in Michael Potter Jr., Jamal Murray has not returned, relying on Jokic MVP level performances, all the way to the present.
By the time those two are fully back, the Nuggets may move up another notch. Last season, both of them had more than 40 percent of their three-point crosshairs, and if the two returned, would the Warriors dare to unscrupulously pack up the teacher?
Anyway, "Five Thirty Eight" is very optimistic about the Nuggets' playoff performance, the media believes that the Nuggets have a 28% chance of reaching the Finals, while the probability of winning the championship is 15%, and both data are ranked fourth in the league. The Warriors' probability of reaching the Finals is currently only 6%, and the probability of winning the championship is only 2%, ranking only ninth in the league.
Most teams in the league will have a hard time playing against the Nuggets, because the core of this team is Jokic after losing fat. In the past three games, Jokic has averaged at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists per game, which is the first player to achieve such an achievement after the ancient mythical beast Chamberlain.
Jokic can be inside and outside, can suddenly shoot, is the Nuggets' fixed sea god needle. This season, when Mr. Yo is on the floor, the Nuggets have to beat their opponents by 9.6 points per 100 rounds. In the case of the Warriors, in the case of Teacher Yu's presence this season, he will win 10.5 points per 100 rounds.
At least for now, the Warriors still haven't found a better way to limit Jokic than the bag clip. In the first three meetings of the season, Jokic averaged 29.7 points, 17 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, shooting 55 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range. And in today's game, Jokic once again cut 23 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, if it were not for today's bad three-pointers, the Game 8 shots 0, the Nuggets would not have played so hard.
The Warriors certainly can't expect Jokic to be inaccurate in three-pointers, and as a big man with a soft hand, Joky's three-point crosshairs have reached 36% this season. When the playoffs come, the Warriors face Joe, and the most likely defensive way is still one-on-one. But in the first three meetings of the season, Looney was the warrior's longest defensive player, but during this period, Mr. Yo's shooting and three-point shooting rate exceeded 60%, and the Nuggets scored a total of 133 points during this period.
Of course, there are also many fans who may expect that the return of the dream may be able to limit the teacher, but the sample of the two pairs this season is too small. Last season, under the dream-chasing defense, the shooting rate of Teacher Yo also reached 60.9%, although Dream Chasing has strength, the defensive end will always give the opponent strength, but Teacher Yo is tall after all, a move to burn the sky, shorter than his own inner line can usually only dry eyes.
After all, it is MVP-level stars, and it is normal for the Warriors to prevent Jokic. However, the Nuggets' internal advantage is not limited to about the teacher. Among the Nuggets' interior players, Jeff Green is 2.03 meters tall, Cousins is 2.08 meters tall, and Aaron Gordon is two meters 03 tall. Today's Nuggets often have Teacher Joe, Green and Gordon present at the same time. In this game, the Nuggets led 49-36 in rebounding.
However, the good news for the Warriors is that now the Nuggets' second and third bosses are unknown, the game has entered a state of glue, they still have Curry, and perhaps at the critical moment, that sixth Game Klay, will also return.
in Kelsang