As it turned out, even an excellent playmaker needed enough scoring threat to back him up before he could truly bring out the best in his teammates.
When a scorer of Chen Xi's caliber entered the mid-range area, the Nuggets' defensive response was completely different from how they had handled Rose.
The players positioned to help reacted far more aggressively than before.
Jokic stayed planted beneath the basket while defending the weak-side screen, and Gordon abandoned Toppin on the wing to collapse into the paint.
Meanwhile, Braun fought desperately through the screen, trying to keep up with Chen Xi.
In that instant, Hartenstein, Toppin, and even George up top, who had been left partially open by Porter's attempted rotation, all had decent looks at the basket.
To Chen Xi, an assist seemed ripe for the taking.
But that wasn't the choice he made tonight.
Facing the Nuggets' aggressive trap, he gathered the ball and jumped, forcing up another mid-range jumper over Gordon's contest.
The ball slipped smoothly off his broad palm, barely cleared Gordon's fingertips, and sailed straight toward the hoop.
Swish~~
Another crisp rustle of the net.
Another absurdly clean make.
Chen Xi landed firmly, then turned to run back on defense without a flicker of expression, leaving three Nuggets players standing there with headaches clearly starting to set in.
If even help defense that intense couldn't disrupt his finishing, Denver really would be out of answers.
"It's fine. Even Chris can't make shots like that every time. He's not actually Superman..."
Gordon spoke up to encourage his teammates.
Though it was hard to tell whether he was reassuring them or himself...
At the other end, they went back on offense.
The Nuggets launched their counterattack.
Once again, they went to their familiar Jokic Murray Pick and Roll.
Murray