The strongest basket king

Chapter 282 March Raiders
On March 3, the Nuggets played at home against the Timberwolves, who are sprinting for the top eight in the West.

The Timberwolves now have a complete lineup. Their results are better than last season, but it is not easy to enter the top eight in the Western Conference.

March can be said to be their last chance. If there is no super performance, they will miss the playoffs again.

So even if it is a strong team in the West like the Nuggets, they have to fight hard, and they have won the Nuggets.

At the beginning of the game, the Timberwolves were full of momentum, and Love's outburst really hit the Nuggets' weakness.

The fourth position has a relatively large attack range and does not rely on breakthroughs. Most of the time, Xiang Chu's help defense is useless, but if it is a pincer attack, it will pass.

Unless you have to, flanking other positions is more troublesome than flanking the center. It is more convenient to play outside, and Love can still pass the ball.

Outside of Love, the most troublesome thing for the Timberwolves is Martin and Barea on the bench.

Martin mainly made fouls, and Fournier quickly made two fouls and went to rest, but he didn't play.

Barea is just a little crazy, the X factor.

Pekovic also did a good job defending Xiang Chu this time. He just relied on his strength to push outside and didn't reach out much. Xiang Chu scored as soon as he could.

Pekovic's strength is also one of the top in the league, and he is heavy. Xiang Chu's efficiency in hitting him in the three-second zone is indeed not that high.

The Timberwolves played so well in the first quarter, the Nuggets played normally and fell behind by double digits.

"Everyone, don't worry, what to do is what to do, the game is not a quarter." Xiang Chu said to the others.

He feels that the Timberwolves are fighting hard, and they are also lucky. If they mess up, this game will be difficult to play.

If they maintain their rhythm and defense, the Timberwolves cannot last the entire game.

In fact, the situation changed in the second quarter. Williams' performance was not worse than Barea's, and the threat of other Timberwolves substitute players was actually not that strong.

It's just that the opponent made an early effort, and after the Nuggets' rotation performed well, the score began to chase back.

In addition, Pekovic's physical strength dropped a little in the second quarter. If this buddy had good physical strength, he might have reached the All-Star level, but unfortunately he didn't.

The Timberwolves used rookie center Gorgui Dieng to support them for a while, but Xiang Chuqiang played like a rookie, and the Timberwolves could only let Pekovic withstand it. They must fight hard if they want to enter the playoffs.

The fringe players in the playoffs are so miserable. They have to play the game as a playoff on the eve of the playoffs.

The point is that Love's offensive efficiency has also declined.

Love can play both inside and out, but his style of play also requires physical strength. Chandler and Faried's fouling and consumption of each other still played a role.

On the other hand, Xiang Chu's side is more stable. As soon as the opponent's defense relaxes, he can score immediately, and even if he doesn't receive a pass, he can grab offensive rebounds.

At the end of the first half, the Timberwolves barely maintained their lead by relying on their advantage in the first quarter.

The third quarter will be a turning point, but if the Nuggets don't catch it, they may overturn again.

Now the league teams are all too familiar with them, and they have a set of targeted strategies. In fact, the biggest problem for the Nuggets is that the outside pass is not optimal, but there is no way around it.

Passing masters are much more difficult than finding a group of shooters, they have to be practical.

In the third quarter, Love, who regained some physical strength, once again killed the Quartet.

In fact, in some games, as long as you grasp the opponent's weakness and fight to the end, the weak may win the strong.

Of course, it is not easy to achieve this. What the Nuggets have to do now is to stabilize.

So the Nuggets lowered their pace and tried to give Xiang Chu a chance to play.

Xiang Chu found that with the infinite energy magic skill, it is really cool to cooperate with the iron-blooded warrior.

Pekovic was tough for a few minutes at the beginning of the third quarter, and then he used his weight to carry it alive.

In this quarter, the main players of both sides are still half-baked, but when he was on the bench, Dunleavy played well, and the Nuggets tied the score at the last moment.

Entering the last quarter with a tie, it seems that no one is taking advantage.

But at the home court of the Nuggets, the Timberwolves actually have no more options.

The trouble is, none of their strengths are of the type with good physical strength, and they have to rest even if they are desperate.

A few minutes into the last quarter, the score still stuck.

After successively becoming the main force, the Nuggets suddenly exploded. It was Xiang Chu who made Pekovic lose his temper after several consecutive attacks.

Up until now, Pekovic couldn't even move his feet, and he was panting heavily on the court.

But the Timberwolves had no other way. Others defended Xiang Chu just by delivering food, and Love was fine as a top man, but the offense was not necessary. In order to defend Xiang Chu, Pekovic basically used soy sauce on the offensive end.

Timberwolves coach Adelman has not yet entered the decision, he found that Love did not top the inside, and the offensive efficiency dropped again.

This time they used Love to attack too much, and it was a little bit bad in the fourth quarter.

Who else among them, Kevin Martin, let this buddy cheat and foul? At this time, Fournier will be wronged. The team has a lot of experience like Belinelli. If Martin goes straight in, Xiang Chu will teach him how to be a man with a cap.

In the last 5 minutes, the Timberwolves couldn't play both insides, and the Nuggets replaced Faried and Xiang Chu to attack the inside together.

Love was still grabbing the front rebounds very well, but at this time he couldn't even protect the backcourt rebounds.

After several impacts, the Nuggets' lead went to double digits, and at this time the Timberwolves really had no choice.

Oh, and there is one last way, and that is a small lineup.

Last time they relied on a small lineup to build their work, but the small lineup was too handy. The Nuggets clearly blocked the three-point line, and the Timberwolves struggled and surrendered.

It can only be said that their lineup does not look bad, but their flaws are really big. If they are targeted a few times by their opponents, they are likely to be hopeless in the playoffs.

Originally, they were at a disadvantage, but they still had a little chance.

The Nuggets played consecutive home games in March, and then consecutive away games. They must win these home games.

Strange to say, when they win, the Spurs and Thunder also win.

The battle for the top three in the Western Conference is estimated to be at the end, but the Nuggets hold the advantage. As long as they play well in March, they can consider saving energy in April.

Of course, Xiang Chu has no problem at all, but the coaching staff is a little worried.

A day later, the Nuggets played against the Mavericks at home, another fringe team in the playoffs, but in a much better situation than the Timberwolves.

(End of this chapter)