With composure and confidence, Wei Guo dribbles the ball forward!

The Nuggets are nervous...

Such a simple sentence, a sentence we often hear in competitions, how come it puts so much pressure on Wei Guo?

Wei Guo dribbles, Paul runs!

If Paul doesn't know what to do, he will never become a superstar... Dribbling to the three-point line, Wei Guo lets the basketball bounce and bounce, and moves his hands outward in a bull horn shape.

Kobe was amused...

He knew that gesture all too well; it was a signal to his teammates to create space and prepare for a one-on-one attack!

His teammates created space, and Wei Guo dribbled the basketball with his palm, then broke through with the ball in his left hand. Anthony took a step back to stick close to Wei Guo, but Wei Guo dribbled behind his back again and took half a step back!

Anthony lunged forward again...

Wei Guo lightly dribbled the basketball, then changed direction in front of his body, leaving Anthony unable to catch it!

Pull-up jump shot!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

17:17!!

The Lakers tied the score.

This attack seemed simple, just a feint, a behind-the-back dribble, and a change of direction in advance, but the sense of rhythm was enough for most professional players to learn for a lifetime.

......

Thanks to Wei Guo's performance, the Lakers entered the second quarter with a lead.

The second quarter became even more intense.

Iverson and Anthony took up a lot of shot attempts. When the ball was in their hands, it was almost never passed around; whoever had the ball shot!

But...

Both players maintained their offensive efficiency tonight, constantly penetrating the paint and drawing fouls. Even without scoring, they earned free throw opportunities, which helped the Nuggets stay close in the score.

Wei Guo and Kobe rested for five minutes before returning to the court!

The two did not imitate the Nuggets' style of play, but focused more on passing and letting teammates take the lead. This is also a tactic. The Lakers' goal is the championship. The playoffs have just begun, and they need to ensure everyone's condition. The Nuggets are fighting for their lives and can win as many games as they can. They just need to push their starters to the limit.

At halftime, the Nuggets were leading!

The Nuggets took the lead at halftime twice. If the Lakers threw the game in the last one, this one was definitely won through their strength.

......

In the home locker room, the Lakers players sat together.

Cummings had a statistic sheet of the Nuggets' players from the first half... After Paul looked at it, he clicked his tongue and said, "This is insane!"

"Iverson is giving it his all!"

Cummings said with concern, "Every time you go for a layup, you fall to the floor; it must hurt a lot."

First half...

Iverson scored 29 points, shooting 8-for-19 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line.

Anthony scored 23 points, shooting 8-for-17 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.

The Nuggets took a total of 43 shots in the first half, with their star duo accounting for 36 of them. The rest of the team only took 6 shots in total, but made 4 of them for 10 points. The Nuggets scored 62 points in the first half!

In contrast, the Lakers...

Kobe Bryant went 4-for-9, Wei Guo went 4-for-7, Paul went 2-for-5, Gasol went 6-for-8, Odom went 1-for-4, Turiaf went 0-for-2, Vujacic went 1-for-2... The Lakers took a total of 41 shots, and all nine players who took the court had a shot attempt. Gasol had the highest shooting percentage, as he had stolen Wei Guo's shooting skills.

59:62!!

The Lakers are down by 3 points.

It's almost impossible to win a game with just two players... The Nuggets seem to be trying to create that impossibility, doing everything they can to limit Kobe, Paul, and Gasol, and betting that Kobe won't have a good game tonight.

......

The cheerleaders danced really well, but the second half of the game was about to start, so they had to retreat to the sidelines.

The Nuggets are on offense!

Iverson drove to the basket and drew a foul from Odom.

"grass!!!"

Odom angrily slammed the basketball onto the floor; this was his fourth foul.

The referee showed no sympathy for Odom, instead issuing him a technical foul. Now Odom has to leave the game and rest; he needs to calm down.

First, there was the technical foul free throw, which was taken by Iverson.

"Whoosh!!!"

A free point is now in hand.

then...

Iverson made both free throws again.

59:65!!

The Lakers are down by 6 points, which is the largest margin of defeat in the game.

The point difference wasn't enough for Wei Guo and Kobe to fight tooth and nail to close the gap. Paul leisurely dribbled across the frontcourt, Kobe came out to receive the ball, and took a three-point shot!

Kenyon and Anthony rushed forward to block!

Iverson yelled, "This is a pass, not a shot! Box out Weiguo, don't let him get to the basket!"

The reminder came too late...

Wei Guo had already cut to the basket, jumped up, grabbed the basketball, and slammed it home with one hand!

61:65!!

The Lakers are down by 4 points.

This is the difference in strength. The Nuggets have to fight with all their might on every offensive possession, while the Lakers play with exceptional ease.

Iverson and Anthony continued their one-on-one battles... even if they missed, they drew fouls.

Just as Wei Guo said, the referees continued to make biased calls. Perhaps they thought Wei Guo would retire after the playoffs, so they became a bit emboldened. In any case, the Lakers were unable to close the gap.

The game took a turn when there were only 2 minutes and 22 seconds left in the third quarter!

Cassell's dribble was intercepted...

Paul made a fast break to the basket and passed the ball to Wei Guo outside the three-point line, who then took a three-point shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball swished through the net!

Starting with that basket, the Lakers began to close the gap, and within two minutes, Wei Guo made five consecutive three-pointers.

......

The third quarter has ended.

87:81!!

The Lakers lead by 6 points.

Gentry praised, "When Wei Ge starts shooting threes, the Nuggets are having a hard time keeping up."

actually...

The Nuggets were also gambling, betting that Wei Guo wasn't having a good shooting night... Wei Guo took very few shots, only 7 in the first half. In the third quarter, in the first ten minutes, Wei Guo only completed 3 alley-oop dunks, and then didn't score any more points from the field... The Nuggets had already seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

Wei Guo, however, sank five consecutive three-pointers!

and...

All five were pull-up three-pointers, giving the Nuggets no chance to react. They caught the ball and shot immediately. On one occasion, Wei Guo even stepped on the center line with his left foot, but he still confidently took the shot.

The Denver Nuggets' bench.

George Karl said, "We still have to gamble... gamble that Weiguo won't make the shot. We absolutely cannot put all our defensive effort on Weiguo."

This is a tactic. The Nuggets' defense is already bad, and they can't contain Wei Guo at all... Any player would be at a disadvantage when matched up against Wei Guo. Since they can't contain him, they might as well defend other players and gamble on Wei Guo having a bad shooting night.

"He has already made five three-pointers in a row."

Kenyon revealed his thoughts: "Knowing him as I do, this touch will continue into the fourth quarter."

George Karl spread his hands. "Then tell me, what should we do? Should you go to defend the country, or should Kassel go to defend the country? Can I go instead?!"

Kenyon, “…”

George Karl was getting anxious; it was a sign of his helplessness.