During the live broadcast yesterday, some viewers insisted that "Nurkic can make an appointment with the teacher", but they were dismissive at the time.
After all, he often faced off against Jokic when he was with the Trail Blazers. In the 21st playoffs, the two players' statistics were Nurkic's 13.2 points and 10.3 rebounds versus Teacher Yue's 33.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Nurkic also committed 30 fouls in 6 games.
When Murray was seriously injured that year, Teacher Yue single-handedly killed the sixth-ranked Blazers in the Western Conference.
But in today's game between the Suns and the Nuggets, Nurkic proved that although he lost the competition with Teacher Yue and was sent away by the Nuggets, times have changed ,
He, the Bosnian man, may be the best in the league. A large meat shield suitable for facing off against teachers.
He played 29 minutes in this game, scoring 7 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, with a plus-minus value of +9. He fouled out at the end of the regular time. If you don't count the Suns' 10-point victory in overtime, his plus-minus value in this game is second in the game, second only to Grayson Allen who threw 8 three-pointers today.
Nurkic’s biggest contribution on the court is to minimize the success rate of Yue’s singles.
Similar to LeBron in his peak period, the biggest headache for Jokic today is that he combines strong personal matchmaking ability with wide-ranging organizational skills. Whether he can score individually or lead the team together. When it is dry, it is equivalent to two bottles of poison.
And what is Jokic restricted to today?
made 8 of 18 shots from the field, 4 of 7 three-pointers, and only 4 of 8 at the basket. There was also a goal scored by Suns substitute center Eubanks.
Among them, Jokic made 2 of 7 in the entire first half and only hit two three-pointers in the first quarter.
Comparing Zhan Mei and Hachimura, who were beaten a few days ago, the Lakers' eyes are probably red with envy.
Mr. Yokic himself admitted that "he (Nurkic), Embiid and Adams, are the strongest insiders in the NBA."
He can block Mr. Yok in the high position, forcing Jokic to only chase his dreams· Green's control tower, which can only pass the ball, has greatly reduced the defensive pressure on the rest of the Suns today.
And the strange thing is that today's teacher seemed to be a little timid in the first half when facing this big brother. He made many outside shots after the pick-and-roll, and even rarely pulled to the bottom corner to build a fort. He seemed to be deliberately avoiding and trying. Erkic fights hand to hand.
Nurkic not only completed the most difficult task on the defensive end, but also showed the excellent connection skills of European towers on the offensive end.
Nowadays, the Suns lack a real point guard. After the Trail Blazers have provided a cover for the two guns for many years, he still has to consume a considerable part of the ball control task. Grayson Allen hit the first three-pointer in this game. Just from his assist.
Although the Suns defeated the Nuggets today and Du Reaper killed the joker (Jokic's nickname "Joker"), Nurkic, who "succeeded" the teacher Yokic, is not the number one hero.
What the Suns should be most grateful for today is Grayson Allen, who made 9 of 15 shots from the field and 8 of 12 three-pointers. He once again scored 28 points and had a plus-minus of +20.
The Nuggets' defensive resources and intensity make it difficult for the Suns' offense without Booker.
During regular time, Durant made 11 of 31 goals and Bill made 4 of 16 goals. Grayson Allen stepped up to fill the team's offensive firepower.
He made 4 of 4 three-pointers in the first quarter, and 3 of 3 in the second quarter. After hitting again in the third quarter, he once made a highlight performance of hitting all eight three-pointers.
Allen has become the league's top three-point shooter this season, averaging 2.6 three-pointers per game with a league-leading 47.9% shooting rate.
He has played in 56 games and has thrown more than 8 three-pointers in a single game 5 times this season, ranking second in the league after Curry.
But the Nuggets are worthy of being the defending champion and the strongest team in the league today. With insufficient lineup thickness this season, they seemed to be using a "on-court health" approach to rest their core five in the second half of the season.
In recent games, they often play loosely for most of the time, but then suddenly increase their intensity in the second half of the game and take away the game.
Three days ago, the Lakers led by 11 points, but in the end they were evened out and beaten hard in the fourth quarter. The Warriors, the same Internet celebrity team, also played a stalemate in the first half, and were finally defeated in the third quarter.
is just like Teacher Yue's nickname "joker". Nowadays, the Nuggets like to give their opponents hope in the early stages of the game, and then end it with one blow after the game is over.
With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, Royce O'Neal of the Suns hit a three-pointer to open the point difference to 82-65, and then the Nuggets began to enter their "serious period."
Jokic began to take over the game. No one really thought that he could not beat Nurkic. His performance often depends on his mood. At this stage of the regular season, it is difficult to arouse his fighting spirit in advance. .
He first hit a mid-range shot against Nurkic, then after Porter broke through, he hit a tip-in, then cut inside to score 2+1 and gave Nurkic his fifth foul, which forced him to leave the game.
Then Murray dunked, Pope made a three-pointer, and Teacher Yue continued to chase Eubanks. After three quarters, the Nuggets caught up to 81-90.
In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets first had Porter step up and score 5 points with inside and outside shots, but Bill and Durant finally found their touch and hit one after another. With 3 minutes and 54 seconds left, the Suns still led 99-99. 90 ahead.
Then the Nuggets showed the same intensity that they had defeated the Lakers a few days ago. Pope hit another three-pointer, Murray missed a breakthrough and then hit consecutive rebounds. Jokic first beat Eubanks to six fouls. He left the field and made two free throws, then assisted Pope, and a 12-0 wave directly stunned the Suns.
is watching, and the scene where the Lakers were tricked a few days ago is about to happen again.
But fortunately, the Suns still have Durant.
Durant's performance in this game was not outstanding. In the first half, 7 of 13 shots were quite impressive. However, in the third quarter, his physical strength dropped and he was only 2 of 9. The "muscular brother and expensive" combination of Gordon + Porter was able to carry James. If he doesn't stay, Durant won't be much better.
Of course, the most important thing is physical strength.
Adu's average of 37.2 minutes per game this season ranks fifth in the league, the highest since his serious injury in 2015. In addition, the Suns have no serious defenders and rely heavily on his offensive attack.
Adu, who is almost 36 years old and has suffered two major injuries, has a much higher workload this season than most young people in the league.
But when it comes to life and death, today he reminds people why he is called the God of Death.
's left-hand breakthrough was blocked by Gordon. After the emergency stop, the pull-up was still not sloppy. In 17 and 18, he killed LeBron and the Cavaliers for two consecutive years. He hit a three-pointer and tied 102-102. The two teams entered overtime.
took a big lead but was overtaken and tied at the last minute. The great thing is that the Suns and Durant still held on to their anger, and even Bill stood up in overtime.
When Nurkic was sent off and Allen no longer had an open shot, Durant and Bill took turns firing in overtime. The two made all five shots and scored 13 points together. The Nuggets in Jingzhou were carelessly lost.
Due to rotating injuries and existing structural flaws this season, the Suns' regular season performance was not stable.
The offensive end relies too much on the personal abilities of the stars, and the shortcomings on the defensive end are also very obvious. To survive until now, Durant and Booker have a particularly heavy burden in the game.
In terms of difficulty of the remaining schedule, the Suns rank first in the league. After
kills the Nuggets, they will have two more games against the Celtics, Clippers, as well as the Cavaliers, Bucks, Nuggets and other top teams in the East and West.
But today's victory at least shows that everyone in this team can perform their duties and survive until the end. Durant, Bill, and Booker, who is still recovering from injuries, have the ability to lead the team to kill any opponent.
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