Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 395 The decisive moment
On January 1, the Timberwolves played away against the Mavericks.

After playing the Spurs and the Mavericks, it must not be easy, and Nowitzki has returned to the Mavericks.

Now that the Mavericks have a bad record, after Nowitzki's comeback, they definitely hope to return to the top eight in the Western Conference.

Therefore, when encountering back-to-back Timberwolves away games, the Mavericks must go all out.

The Mavericks have mainly had problems with defense this season, and the offensive end has not been a big problem since Nowitzki returned.

After all, the backcourt composed of Mayo and Collison can barely play, and there are veterans Carter and Brand who can still fight on the bench, plus Nowitzki and Marion, as well as Nowitzki's fellow Kaman, this lineup is not too bad.

It's just that Nowitzki's combat power has declined a bit after being injured. The Mavericks definitely can't just hand the ball to Nowitzki at the last moment, and they can only rely more on the team.

In this case, there is still a problem meeting a real strong team.

The biggest problem is still on the defensive end. It is difficult for a group of old arms and legs to keep up with the opponent's rhythm.

But facing the Timberwolves, who have two generals in truce, the Mavericks can still fight.

At the beginning of the game, the Mavericks' backcourt combination at home felt better.

Jeremy Lin's performance is still unstable. Compared with Curry, he is too threatening on the offensive end.

DeRozan didn't feel good at the beginning, but Milicic was okay on the offensive end, but he didn't make free throws very well today, and then he had foul problems again.

The Mavericks have two different backcourts this season, and they have made breakthroughs.

However, the Timberwolves have enough players at the fifth position, and Milicic's early departure will have little impact on the team. Whether it is Pekovic or Whiteside, they actually have advantages against the Mavericks inside.

Kaman is really average, and Brand's height disadvantage becomes more obvious as he gets older.

The Mavericks took the lead in the first quarter, but Zhang Sixin didn't worry too much. It may be because Nowitzki, who has always needed to pinch before, can hardly perform well even in single defense.

The aging of athletes is often just a few months, and the age plus injuries will make them weak all at once.

After entering the rotation period, the Timberwolves' offense became stronger because Thomas Jr. broke out.

Thomas Jr. is really talented on the offensive end, but he is really difficult to handle on the defensive end because of his height. Even if he is not out of position, there are too many people who can beat him.

And because of the height problem, the wingspan is also at a disadvantage. Even if the wingspan is 12 longer than the height for me, the wingspan is very good, but it is very short for other players.

So he can only score, not steal like Iverson, who is taller and has a better wingspan.

A talented little man like Iverson has already suffered a disadvantage on the defensive end, let alone the shorter Thomas Jr.

However, Thomas Jr.'s scoring ability has gradually emerged, and Zhang Sixin feels that he can be given a chance under certain circumstances in the future.

Thomas Jr. will be useful when speeding up and chasing points.

Of course, the Timberwolves have relatively few such times.

The Mavericks' rotation is also playing well, with both Carter and Brand in touch.

And Nowitzki really doesn't feel it now. Players who rely on shooting for a living, in order to maintain the stability of shots under confrontation, their body is also very important.

Nowitzki estimates that it will take a long time to adapt to his weakened body. After adapting, he should still be able to perform well. After all, he is a superstar, and he will not be useless after degeneration.

In the second quarter, the main player played, and Paul George played relatively normally. DeRozan could find shooting opportunities, but his touch has not been adjusted, so the Timberwolves were behind in the first half.

During the intermission, Zhang Sixin also had a conversation with DeRozan.

"Demar, there is no need to be stressed, you can play more easily."

He allowed DeRozan to add some breakthrough points, and the Timberwolves still have more outside shooters.

After the third quarter, the Timberwolves' starting lineup played much better.

Their adjustments during the halftime break must be effective. With the help of plug-ins, as long as Zhang Sixin sees a problem, he will definitely be able to help the team make changes.

DeRozan has reduced some forced shots and is much more efficient.

Originally, the Timberwolves were about to catch up, but unexpectedly there was another accident.

One is that Mayo is in really good form, hitting several singles.

This is not the point. After entering the rotation period, Carter fouled twice in a row after playing.

The Mavericks had no one, so they had to let rookie Jae Crowder play.

The current Jae Crowder is still a rookie, and he is far from the starting ability. Naturally, the Timberwolves' defense can't pay attention to him. I didn't expect this buddy to feel good, and he scored two consecutive hits when he came up.

Although there was no follow-up, the Mavericks stabilized their lead by relying on these two attacks.

Thomas Jr. continued to explode on the offensive end in the second half, and Zhang Sixin finally decided to keep him on the court and take a gamble on offense.

Under the attack of Thomas Jr., the Timberwolves have been biting the score, and the gap between the two teams is basically within 5 points.

Nearly halfway through the final quarter, the two teams also switched to the winning lineup.

The Timberwolves just changed the No. [-] position, while the Mavericks didn't use Kaman, and playing Brand felt like a small lineup.

Because Kaman's height did not play a role before, at the last moment, the Mavericks decided to fight the offense.

However, in this case, Brand's height is really problematic.

Halfway through the final quarter, Milicic scored 4 points in a row inside, helping the Timberwolves tie the score.

Then Collison hit a three-pointer, and the Mavericks felt stable again.

It's a pity that before they had time to be happy, Thomas Jr. also hit a three-pointer, and the score was tied again.

And then Nowitzki missed a hit, and the opportunity fell into the hands of the Timberwolves.

The Mavericks are still willing to give the ball to Nowitzki at critical moments, but it is really difficult to make a final decision on Nowitzki's current ability.

Next, DeRozan took the ball and caused damage in singles. After making two free throws, the Timberwolves took the lead.

The Mavericks immediately requested a timeout. After they came up again, their tactics were clear, and the backcourt players singled out Thomas Jr.

Before singles, Curry needed a stronger guard, but Thomas Jr., a starting-level guard who can shoot, can single him.

Competitive sports is like this, players will definitely be targeted if they have obvious weaknesses.

Collison caused a foul on Thomas Jr. and caught up with the score with free throws.

Then both sides missed, and the game entered the last minute. Zhang Sixin thought about it and replaced Thomas Jr.

Now that the score has caught up, they need to be more stable.

Then Paul George made a shot, but Mayo also made a single, and the time came to the last half minute.

It is very likely that there will be a lore, and the atmosphere on the scene is extremely tense.

Zhang Sixin encouraged the players, "Don't worry, everyone. If we lose, we are still number one in the league. It is the opponent who should be nervous."

(End of this chapter)