In less than five seconds, the Nuggets immediately answered the Knicks with an answer ball!
The score was now 9–4!
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The baseline referee blew the whistle.
The Knicks called a timeout.
Thibodeau called the first timeout of the night early.
Clearly, Denver scoring on all four of its opening possessions had made him uneasy.
The balding coach was obviously very unhappy with his team's defensive focus in the opening minutes.
Sure enough, once the timeout began, he immediately emphasized defensive focus and discipline to his players.
The brief timeout ended, and the game resumed.
Both teams' players returned to the court.
Thibodeau didn't make any substitutions just yet. Instead, he continued to watch how this starting lineup adjusted.
The first possession after the break.
Derrick Rose brought the ball across half court, then found Chen Xi at the top of the key to initiate a Pick and Roll Screen.
He used the screen to drive, then immediately passed the ball back.
Chen Xi took the pass in stride and went one-on-one against Jamal Murray.
He lowered his center of gravity and settled into a Triple Threat stance. After a probing step, he suddenly rose up and launched a Three-Point Shot!
Swish~~
The Basketball swished through the net!
7–9.
On their first possession after the timeout, New York had already cut the deficit by three.
Of course, this definitely wasn't because Thibodeau was some brilliant coach~~
He only ever had one move on offense.
He put the best players on the team, as he saw it, on the court, then got the ball to the best one and let him handle it~~
And luckily for him, he really did have a player who could be called the best in the world today!
The Nuggets' possession.
Murray brought the ball