NBA: Rising Superstar!

Chapter 488 - 400: Hectic Regular Season

Zeng Xingyang’s high-profile performance naturally and as a matter of course won him the Western Conference Player of the Month award.

This Player of the Month performance is enough to show that Zeng Xingyang is the best-performing player in the West.

From individual stats to team performance, Zeng Xingyang has overshadowed players like Harden and Curry.

The Nuggets’ official quickly released a brand new poster.

The poster featured a scene from Zeng Xingyang’s game against the Rockets, showcasing his 70+ super triple-double stats.

Although the Nuggets’ record isn’t as terrifying as last season, Zeng Xingyang still showcases a stance of dominating the entire league.

This stance makes many teams feel oppressed and reminds many stars of the fear of being dominated by Zeng Xingyang.

The Nuggets’ operations from the previous year are still proving effective, and their overall strength remains at the top of the league.

Many teams haven’t lacked in trying to find a way, examining every detail of Zeng Xingyang’s play under a microscope, which has caused some trouble for him.

But this trouble is short-lived, as Zeng Xingyang quickly finds corresponding solutions.

Moreover, it’s not only Zeng Xingyang who is strong now, but the entire Nuggets team. If opponents focus solely on Zeng Xingyang, the rest can easily take them down with their standard performances.

After getting through November, Zeng Xingyang continued to perform efficiently in December.

On December 1st, the Nuggets faced the Bulls and won easily with a score of 122 to 105.

Zeng Xingyang scored 28 points, 17 assists, and 8 rebounds, while Jokic scored 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Jokic played very comfortably against the Bulls’ interior, with both players resting after three quarters.

On the 3rd, they hosted the Lakers. Before the game, Lonzo Ball approached Zeng Xingyang to thank him for the special training during the summer camp.

During the summer, Zeng Xingyang trained with young players like Tatum, Ball, and Siakam, regardless of what teams they hailed from, all practicing together.

Today, Ball and Ingram performed mediocrely, with one scoring 7 points, 7 assists, and 2 rebounds, and the other with 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Both Ball and Ingram were highly anticipated by Los Angeles fans and media due to their high draft positions.

Fans even hoped Ingram could become the next Zeng Xingyang, exploding onto the scene as a rookie.

Yet, based on tonight’s performance, the Lakers’ young stars did not meet the expectations of fans and media.

The final score was 144 to 104, with the Nuggets annihilating the Lakers by 40 points at home.

The Lakers seem to lack strong resistance.

Zeng Xingyang scored 52 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in three quarters, delivering a harsh lesson to the Lakers’ youngsters.

After defeating the Lakers, the Nuggets headed to Golden State Oakland.

This was the Nuggets’ first visit there of the season, and it was the first game of their road trip against the Warriors.

The match started intensely from the very beginning.

Durant encountered continuous targeting by Butler, Siakam, and Zeng Xingyang on the offensive end.

The Nuggets’ defense was multi-layered, making Durant very uncomfortable.

Durant felt that if he could isolate and play one-on-one, he could overpower anyone.

Including Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang can overpower him, but he also must overpower Zeng.

The two can only end up mutually overpowering each other.

But Durant didn’t get the chance to play one-on-one today; every time he had the ball, he was closely guarded, and as soon as he dribbled, he faced a double team.

Curry and Thompson were excellent at spacing, but the Nuggets’ defensive footwork was not slow either, refusing to give Curry and Thompson easy open looks.

The Nuggets left Green open.

Green got some wide-open shots, and he shot decisively.

But Green’s three-point shots were unreliable.

After missing several threes in a row, he lost his confidence.

Offensively, the Nuggets still focused on Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang isolated Curry as soon as he reached the frontcourt.

Curry was unfortunate to face Zeng Xingyang and was helpless.

The primary difference between the two was their physicality, significantly in favor of Zeng Xingyang.

This put enormous pressure on Curry defensively.

Even though the Nuggets had the upper hand, they didn’t easily secure the game.

The Warriors’ three-point shooting was very sharp, and their overall shot attempts exceeded that of the Nuggets. Sometimes the Nuggets’ defense couldn’t keep up, giving the Warriors chances.

The Warriors differed from regular teams; they could capitalize strongly on any opportunity, and it’s not possible to maintain defensive focus for a full 48 minutes.

With 2 minutes left in the game, the score stood at 120 to 118.

The Nuggets led by only two points.

Nuggets on the attack.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the frontcourt.

Facing Curry’s defense, Zeng Xingyang called for a pick-and-roll.

But Cole was not allowing Zeng Xingyang to play that way anymore.

Iguodala came up quickly to double team with Curry.

Facing the double-team defense, Zeng Xingyang didn’t pass immediately but retreated instead.

Then, leaning forward, he changed pace, slipping between the two defenders.

Reaching the left side of the free-throw line, Zeng Xingyang didn’t feel much pressure and chose a pull-up jumper.

The help defense from Durant wasn’t strong enough; even his core power couldn’t compare with Zeng Xingyang, leaving him to just tokenistically stretch his arm out.

"Swish!"

No one stopped Zeng Xingyang’s mid-range shot, and he made it steadily.

to 118.

The on-site atmosphere was suppressed.

Then, in the next possession, Zeng Xingyang and Butler cornered Curry, successfully stripping the ball from him.

Butler dashed to the frontcourt, drew the defense, and passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang.

Receiving the ball at the top of the arc, Zeng Xingyang confidently shot a three over Durant.

Durant still couldn’t interfere!

"Swish!"

This shot helped the Nuggets secure the victory, with the final score fixed at 127 to 122.

The Nuggets defeated the Warriors on the road.

Curry, despite his last-minute mistake, scored an efficient 44 points tonight. He did his best, but his teammates couldn’t keep up.

Seeing the Nuggets win, Durant felt despair. He was even considering leaving the Warriors.

After defeating the Warriors, the Nuggets embarked on their road trip again, with fans and media curious about when their next loss would come.

This time, the Nuggets arrived in Thunder territory, drawing all eyes on the Thunder’s Big Three to see if they could defeat the Nuggets.

After forming the Big Three in the offseason, the Thunder aimed straight for the championship.

Last season, the Thunder had defeated the Nuggets during the regular season, in a match that was earth-shattering, fostering some grievances between the two teams.

In this match, Westbrook played fiercely, scoring 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists—better stats than Zeng Xingyang’s 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Yet, they still lost the game.