Westbrook, keep it steady! G6 can win: just because one player played 0 minutes in the fourth quarter!

In a Western Conference semi-final that just ended, the Denver Nuggets were once behind 12 points at home, and completed the reversal with their wonderful performance in the second and second half of the third quarter! The series draws 3-3, and continues to retain the possibility of advancing to the Western Conference Finals. To this end, we really have to admire the tenacity of the Nuggets led by Jokic, which will be impossible again and again! We won’t talk about the previous game. Who would have thought that in such a critical game, the young Nuggets players showed rare maturity. Braun, a third-year-old, played 39 minutes and 18 seconds in the whole game, made 8 of 14 shots, 3 three-pointers, scored 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. The most rare thing is that his scoring is very valuable. When the Thunder established a 12-point lead, he hit a continuous three-pointer to help the Nuggets tie the score! In the second half of the third quarter, the second grade young player Strauser stood up and came up to play in the last 3 minutes and 03 seconds of the third quarter. He made 3 of 3 shots and scored 8 points in a row and became a surprise and broke the balance!

In addition, although the third-year young player Watson performed average offensively in this game, he had a strong sense of presence on the defensive end. In the fourth quarter, Jaylenway failed to hit the counterattack, which was interfered by his pursuit and defense. If these three counterattacks were beaten, the Nuggets might be reversed again! This is the positive role of excellent teams and excellent stars. Jokic, Gordon, Murray and Westbrook influence young players with their example on the court, and finally the young players exploded and could stand up in such a critical game. But looking at the whole game, the main reason why the Nuggets were able to grab the G4 was that Adelman learned the lessons of G4 and G5: one player played for 0 minutes in the fourth quarter! That's right, this person is Porter, who is troubled by shoulder injuries. He won 28 minutes and 58 seconds of playing time in this game, which is the least one he has played in the last 4 games! Every time the Thunder established an advantage in the first three quarters, Porter Jr. could stand up and respond, 4 of 9 shots in the game, scoring 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.

Received a 5 minutes and 23 assist from Jokic in the first quarter and helped the Nuggets lead by 8 points. When the Thunder opened the score in the second quarter, they were the first to hit the mid-range and sounded the Nuggets' counterattack horn. The 5 points scored in the third quarter were also very critical, helping the team turn the situation around. In the fourth quarter, due to the defensive shortcomings, the Nuggets would have allowed Porter, Gordon and Murray to lead the team at the same time. However, Porter Jr. was taken down in this game, and the Nuggets used a combination of Westbrook, Strauser, Watson, Gordon and Murray. The Nuggets used a total of 7 players to rotate in this quarter. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Nuggets led by 8 points 90-82. The five-man team persisted until 7 minutes and 53 seconds with defense. Although they only scored 6 points, the Thunder only scored 4 points. Interestingly, this time Adelman replaced Gordon and Murray with Jokic and Braun. Westbrook, Strauser, and Watson were still on the court. The Nuggets climaxed the score to 104-88 with 5 minutes and 1 seconds left, and the lead expanded to 16 points!

In this wave, Watson + Strauser + Westbrook's backcourt combination defended 4 times and Jaylen was determined to make a counterattack layup. This is the benefit of Porter Jr. in the fourth quarter. Until now, the Thunder have fully exposed the problem of insufficient key abilities in the fourth quarter. As long as the Nuggets can play 55 with him, they will simply be more stable than the stars at critical moments, and Jokic beats Alexander! If Adelman still gives Porter a lot of playing time in the fourth quarter like G4 and G5, then the Nuggets are likely to be reversed again. The defense must be greater than the offense at the last moment of the playoff game. Due to the physical energy consumption ahead and the stability of the offensive end are declining. Whoever can stabilize the defensive intensity will take the initiative. Obviously, the Nuggets did it in this game. The healthy Porter is a weak defensive ring, not to mention that he has suffered a serious shoulder injury!

Westbrook, it's safe!

And there is another big factor in G6's winning, that is, Westbrook adjusted it in time! Westbrook has 2 minutes and 32 seconds left in the first quarter, partnering with Jokic and Porter Jr.! When Westbrook came up, the Nuggets led by 10 points 30-20, but in the next 2 minutes and 32 seconds, Westbrook snatched the ball from Jokic and resumed his playing style of holding the ball. The ball was initiated by him, but the effect was extremely poor. First, he passed the ball at the basket without getting stuck in a good position. The Thunder made a counterattack, and then ignored his teammates' impact on the inside, which caused a foul. Fortunately, the ball was destroyed and out of bounds. Fortunately, the Thunder players encountered the ball, otherwise it would be another mistake. In the fourth round, Westbrook continued to control the ball, broke through the inside again and was shot and made a mistake. The Thunder counterattacked. In the fifth round, Westbrook finally remembered that there was Jokic and he missed the open three-pointer. In the last 2 minutes and 32 seconds of the first quarter, Westbrook played all 5 rounds by himself, and scored 1 point and 2 mistakes. The team was hit by the Thunder in an 8-1 climax during this period, and the score difference returned to 3 points!

If Westbrook still maintains his first quarter style in the game, then the Nuggets will be very dangerous. Fortunately, Westbrook's time will be stabilized! Whether it is partnering with Murray or Jokic, he decisively handed over the ball. He no longer handled the ball in the last three quarters, but instead played the role of a defensive vanguard and did dirty work on the court! In this way, the Nuggets can reduce many unnecessary mistakes. In the end, Westbrook made 3 of 6 shots and scored 7 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block in the last three quarters, making great contributions to the team's winning! We can see from G6 that as long as Westbrook can stabilize and no longer be obsessed with controlling the ball when his offense is in poor condition, this is the biggest good news for the Nuggets. His passion on the court is an indispensable part of the Nuggets! At the last moment of G6, Gordon suffered a hamstring strain, and G7 really needs Westbrook to stand up and take on more responsibilities. From this game, we can see that Westbrook is really much more stable. He puts the team's victory first and adjusts his playing style in time. This is too important for the Nuggets!