Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 188
With Love assisting Matthews to hit the basket and score 2+1, the Timberwolves sealed the victory.

In fact, they only led by 5 points in the end, but these points are the trenches that the Warriors cannot cross.

After the game, Zhang Sixin and Jefferson also communicated. In the second half, Jefferson played a lot smarter and performed well. As long as he protects his health, he can still make a difference in the league, at least he can earn a lot of dollars.

The November game ended here, and the Timberwolves also squeezed into the top four in the Western Conference by virtue of their performance in the second half of November.

In fact, it was mainly due to the collision of strong teams in the league. The three teams with better records in the West, the Lakers, Spurs and Mavericks, also lost.

The Timberwolves have not only come to the top four in the West now, if they continue, they have a good chance to go further.

They played away against the Mavericks in their first game in December, and the Mavericks now have one more win than them. If they can win the direct dialogue between the two teams, the Timberwolves can move up one place in the Western Conference rankings.

The regular season record is not that important, but the team should also be in a relatively advantageous position.

This is still very motivating for young players.

The Mavericks got their wish in the summer and got insider Chandler.

Although Chandler doesn't have much attacking power, his movement speed is much better than Dampier's, and he can play a better role in defense.

And no attack power is relative, anyway, it is better than Dampier in both offense and defense.

After Chandler was traded, the Mavericks promoted the defensive 3D player Stevenson to start, so that they have a very good defensive starting lineup, and then there are Terry, Marion, Barea and Haywood on the bench.

They also added Peja behind them. With so many players and the super god Nowitzki, it is no wonder that they were able to win the championship in history.

However, if Nowitzki is not super god, the Mavericks are just an ordinary Western powerhouse.

Because their offensive power is not enough, the team's second point is not strong enough, and the defensive end is not without weak links.

Chandler is a good defensive insider, but he is not the kind of big gate. Both single defense and auxiliary defense are good, but not the top.

Just like Noah of the Bulls, he relies on mobility and is a bit underweight.

The Mavericks are also old acquaintances. Their lineup has changed, but the core is still Nowitzki, so the Timberwolves still come up and attack Nowitzki.

The Mavericks lineup is actually not without shooting. However, the Timberwolves flanked Nowitzki, and their other players couldn't take the opportunity to score points.

It can only be said that it is difficult for the Mavericks to play with the ball except for Dirk Nowitzki.

Their shots are all catch-and-shoot shots, and they need to be open, so they are not that threatening.

However, when encountering Nowitzki, Love's performance also dropped a bit.

Not only because of the heavy defensive pressure, but Nowitzki's defense is also somewhat underestimated.

Love, a type with many skills but not enough skills, may not be very different when he meets Duncan or Nowitzki.

As for the team's perimeter, because the Mavericks put an extra perimeter defensive player on the court, they did not immediately exert their full strength.

In the beginning of this game, the two sides actually started from defense.

The situation changed during the rotation period, and Zhang Sixin was also prepared.

The Mavericks' bench lineup is stronger and more mature than the Timberwolves.

During the rotation period, Terry, Marion and Barea all played well, and Paul George played well on the Timberwolves side, and the gap was immediately revealed.

"We are now afraid of such a team with a strong substitute lineup. If the main lineup cannot gain an advantage, this game will be difficult." Zhang Sixin sighed.

For example, the Spurs started all the powerful players before, but the Timberwolves played a lot easier.

Now that the Mavericks use a 3D Timberwolves exchange, it feels more difficult.

But fortunately, the Timberwolves did restrict Nowitzki enough.

The Mavericks' main lineup has not performed as well as their substitutes.

Of course, the difficulties faced are also different. The main force of the Timberwolves is much stronger than the substitute.

"We must attack a team like the Mavericks," Zhang Sixin said.

They are now behind in the score, and the two cores on the offensive end have not performed well.

The understanding is mutual, and the Mavericks also carried out targeted defense against the Timberwolves in this game.

Therefore, the performance of the core players on both sides is average, causing the performance of other players to determine the gap in the score.

In the last few minutes of the first half, the performance of the two teams was not very good, and the scene was rather dull.

Relying on the advantage of the rotation period, the Mavericks still took the lead into the intermission.

In the locker room, Zhang Sixin was also analyzing carefully.

"The defense against Nowitzki can't be changed unless he's off the court..."

"It is necessary to minimize the reduction of the three-pointers of the opponent's role players, but... the most important thing is our own offense. Stephen needs more shots in the second half."

Sometimes it's really useless to think too much about strong teams. It depends on the performance of the All-Star players.

In the third quarter, Curry and Love became tougher.

The Mavericks have also changed. With Nowitzki being flanked, Butler increased his shots.

In addition, Nowitzki distributed the ball to the outside after a flank attack, and Kidd would send the ball directly to the inside, not as obsessed with finding opportunities on the outside as in the first half.

If Milicic goes to help defense, Chandler will likely get Kidd's support.

And Chandler's rebounding performance in this quarter was very good, which gave the Mavericks a lot of help.

Timberwolves approached the score several times, but the Mavericks withstood the pressure.

Nowitzki has really become a feint point, creating opportunities for his teammates.

Both sides made targeted adjustments, and now it depends on who can seize the point of breaking the game.

The Mavericks are waiting for rotation time, while the Timberwolves are waiting for Nowitzki to be replaced.

When there were only more than 3 minutes left in the third quarter, Nowitzki finally went down to rest.

The Timberwolves' defense immediately became sharper, and the Mavericks' bench scoring was not as easy as in the first half.

In fact, the Mavericks' bench lineup is stronger, but with the Timberwolves' tactical execution, they are also very powerful. The Mavericks' lead in the first half also had some luck.

It's just that the Timberwolves' defense is very good now, but the bench lineup still doesn't score.

Not only because of the strength of the substitute players, but also because the team is behind, they feel the pressure, and they perform well when they don't play well. For rookies, this is normal.

What to do, of course it is cold salad.

When Curry went up to bring the bench lineup, all kinds of star balls were shot directly.

When Curry went down to rest, Love was on the court to support, and DeRozan was also strong. Now everyone is fighting for talent.

(End of this chapter)