The Denver Nuggets' starting lineup was: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, JR Smith, Kenyon Martin, and Nene Hilario.
The Thunder's starting lineup was: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Nenad Krstić.
Last season, the Thunder basically had no power to retaliate against the Denver Nuggets, unless Durant exploded. Otherwise, the Denver Nuggets, controlled by Billups, were too stable. His arrival completely unleashed Anthony.
On the first possession, Anthony immediately posted up in the low block. Billups delivered the ball precisely. Facing Durant's defense, Anthony immediately went into a triple threat. As soon as Durant shifted back a step, Anthony pulled up and shot.
"Swish!" Anthony's signature move: a pull-up jump shot after a jab step.
Kayce, sitting on the bench, saw clearly that Durant's defense wasn't completely out of position, but to prevent Anthony's drive, he had to take a small step back, only for Anthony to pull up and score directly.
This is the advantage of combining driving and shooting. Currently, Anthony's first step burst is very strong. As long as he gets half a step on his defender, relying on his strong body and his height as a forward, he can easily power his way to the basket.
"Anthony is on fire! His signature jump shot is good!" the Denver Nuggets' live commentator shouted loudly.
The Thunder's half-court offense mainly relied on drives and dishes, but facing the Denver Nuggets' defense, their offense became somewhat stagnant because the opposing team had excellent interior rim protection, and only JR Smith's perimeter defense was a bit lacking.
Russell drove in after a pick-and-roll and, facing Martin's help defense, passed the ball to Jeff Green, but Nene's excellent leaping ability still bothered Jeff Green's shot.
"Clang!" It was a miss. Anthony grabbed the rebound.
Billups brought the ball across half-court and immediately initiated a pick-and-roll. Taking advantage of Kostić's slow footwork, he split the defense and immediately passed to Nene, who scored at the rim.
On the Thunder's offensive end, Durant, after a pick-and-roll, faced Anthony's defense, executed a sudden stop-and-go, and pulled up for a jump shot.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot was steady and accurate. After all, Durant's height meant his release point was very high.
The Denver Nuggets' offensive pace was very fast. Billups dribbled across half-court and immediately passed to Anthony on the perimeter. Anthony accelerated with his right hand for a drive. Jeff Green came over to help, and Anthony immediately passed the ball to Martin in the paint.
"Bang!" Martin successfully converted the easy layup under the basket.
The Thunder's offense was also very fast. Russell drove past Billups directly, then dished to Sefolosha on the perimeter, who, without stopping the ball, passed it to Jeff Green in the corner.
"Clang!" The open three-pointer missed.
Both teams played at a very fast pace for these few minutes. On the Thunder's side, Kostić struggled to keep up with the speed of both teams. JR Smith thrived in this rhythm, first hitting a contested three-pointer from the perimeter, then driving to the paint and getting to the free-throw line.
"Swish!" Both free throws were steady and accurate. JR Smith was capable of both driving and shooting, though his shot selection was sometimes poor.
With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the Denver Nuggets led 23-17, a 6-point advantage. Coach Brooks called a timeout.
The home fans, seeing their team perform so well, constantly cheered and shouted for the home team. This was the result of making it to the Western Conference Finals last year; their popularity surged, and everyone was looking forward to even better results in the new season.
"Kayce, when you get on the court, pick up the offensive pace. Take decisive shots when you have the chance. Ibaka, focus on protecting the rebound!"
Coach Brooks replaced Thabo Sefolosha with Kayce and Kostić with Ibaka, strengthening the team's mobility.
The Denver Nuggets also brought in rookie Ty Lawson, replacing Billups, and Arron Afflalo, replacing JR Smith. It seemed both sides wanted their core players to play the entire first quarter.
After Russell dribbled across half-court, Kayce came over for a hand-off. Seeing Arron Afflalo in front of him, he didn't call for a screen, but instead accelerated with the ball in his right hand for a direct drive. Near the free-throw line, he suddenly pulled back and shot.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot was steady and accurate. For guard players shorter than him, Kayce simply overpowered them directly, being taller and physically stronger.
With the added boost of the Ankle Breaker and Hot Zone Hunter badges, he was quite confident in isolating these role players.
"Wow, Kayce is the Thunder's third overall pick this year. It seems the Thunder have a good eye." The home commentator briefly introduced Kayce.
On offense, the Denver Nuggets felt the change in the Thunder. They found it difficult to penetrate deep into the paint. Ibaka's help defense was very good. Lawson handled this play poorly, and Martin couldn't bail them out with a shot.
"Clang!" Durant grabbed the rebound and passed it to the accelerating Kayce.
Kayce received the ball and continued to accelerate, facing Nene's delay, he executed a quick spin move, getting past him directly, and galloped towards the basket. Anthony chased from behind, attempting a block.
But Kayce easily laid the ball in with a nimble aerial reverse layup, "Oh my God!"
On his way back on defense, Kayce gestured to the referee that Anthony had hit his arm on that play.
On the Denver Nuggets' offense, Lawson dutifully passed the ball to Anthony. Facing Durant's defense, Anthony jabbed once then drove left, shouldering his way in.
His first attempt was bothered by Ibaka and missed, but he got his own rebound and tipped the ball into the basket on his second jump.
Kayce watched Anthony's sequence of moves with a touch of envy. If Anthony also had badges, they would surely be purple. His first step after the jab step was too quick; he immediately got half a step on his defender.
After Kayce dribbled across half-court, his teammates were all up high. After a series of hand-offs, Durant suddenly accelerated towards the paint. Nene came over to help, forcing a pass to Kayce in the corner.
A fake move shook Arron Afflalo off his feet. During the drive, Kayce executed a bounce pass between the legs, precisely threading it through Martin's legs directly to the cutting Russell, who tensed his body and threw down an exaggerated tomahawk dunk.
"Clang!" The ball slammed into the rim, eliciting gasps from the crowd.
"God, how did that pass get through? Oh my! Right between the legs, a pass full of imagination, and Russell's dunk was beautiful too!" The commentator also praised the exquisite pass.
Russell had a poor first quarter; his drives were constantly met with help defense, and his shooting touch was a bit off. This dunk allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
Kayce's expression was calm. The Bullet Passer badge made his passes faster, which was why Martin didn't react in time just now.
Russell's emotions flared up, and he constantly pressured Lawson's dribble. However, Lawson was very fast. After a pick-and-roll, he tried to pass to Arron Afflalo on the weak side, but Kayce anticipated it and directly stole the ball.
Kayce raced across half-court, with Lawson hot on his heels. He didn't slow down after crossing the three-point line, spotted Durant accelerating on the right, and threw the ball high into the air.
That height didn't faze Durant; he extended his long arm and easily slammed the ball into the hoop.
"Clang!" The fast-break dunk was successful, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
"A beautiful dunk! It seems our rookie Lawson is a bit nervous on the court!" The commentator expressed some disappointment in Lawson.
As that dunk concluded, both teams had one last possession. The Thunder had continuously caught up, making the score 25-25, tied.
Lawson dribbled across half-court and immediately gave the ball to Anthony, who slowly ran down the clock. Arron Afflalo came over and set a screen, which switched Kayce onto Anthony.
Kayce watched Anthony constantly dribbling between his legs, finding his rhythm. He could only shift his body back a small step to prevent being blown by directly. With that one movement, Anthony immediately gathered the ball from the perimeter and pulled up for a shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer swished through the net. Kayce had jumped and contested Anthony's eyes, but it was still ineffective.
After scoring, Anthony lightly tapped his head with three fingers, revealing a relaxed smile. This signature celebration ignited the home crowd. It seemed like the team's leader was showing the rookie a thing or two.
With 16 seconds left, Kayce dribbled across half-court and exchanged a series of hand-offs with his teammates. Durant came up to set a screen for Kayce, which switched Anthony onto Kayce.
With 10 seconds left, his teammates cleared out, and Kayce began a series of cross-dribbles to find his rhythm. He executed a front-of-the-body crossover to drive left. Anthony's center of gravity was shifted, and then Kayce immediately pulled back.
As Anthony lunged forward, Kayce, with the ball in his right hand, suddenly spun, then took a step back. Anthony was completely faked out.
"Woah!" Amidst the gasps of the Denver Nuggets' home crowd, Kayce shot a slightly drifting jump shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer was dead on.
"OMG, Kayce completely shook off Anthony and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer! That shot was truly spectacular!" The live commentator offered his praise.
Anthony looked at Kayce, smiled, and said nothing. Durant and Russell immediately came over to high-five him.
"Nice job, Bro!"