During the break, Russell kept complaining about his terrible shooting touch today, and Bang Bang kept clanking shots.
"Billups' defense is indeed good, but it's mainly because my touch isn't there," Russell said. He was 1-for-5 in the first quarter. Billups always let him drive, but then he'd be interfered with by Nene and Martin once he got inside.
"Don't worry, shooting percentage is conserved; it will slowly come back up," Kayce quickly comforted Russell, who gets very emotional when he plays.
"Alright, lads, play well in the second quarter. You must pay attention to rebounding. Chris Andersen is fierce on offensive rebounds, so make sure to box out when rebounding."
Chris Andersen, with his flashy tattoos and that mohawk, certainly leaves a lasting impression.
At the start of the second quarter, both teams brought in their rotation lineups. Kayce, Menor, Collison, Ibaka, and Byron were on the court.
For the Denver Nuggets, it was Lawson, Arron Afflalo, Joey Graham, Andersen, and Marcus Allen.
The Denver Nuggets' bench lineup wasn't very strong. If this were a regular season rotation, some of these players would be benchwarmers; they only get to play in preseason games.
After Kayce brought the ball across half-court, he made a hand-off with Menor, then used the screen to directly demand the ball in the low post.
Menor threw a high lob pass directly to Kayce, who backed down Arron Afflalo. As soon as he received the ball, Lawson immediately came over for a double-team.
Kayce quickly dished the ball out to Menor on the perimeter, who caught it and shot an open three-pointer directly.
"Clank!" It clanked off the rim, and the long rebound was grabbed by Arron Afflalo, who immediately initiated a fast break.
Lawson was incredibly fast. Once the ball was in his hands, he accelerated, eventually driving in and scoring despite Byron's interference.
"Too fast! Our rookie Lawson is starting to show what he can do!" The commentators also began to praise Lawson.
Byron's transition defense was still a bit slow. After all, it was difficult for a big man to run back and forth. Kayce once again dribbled across half-court, this time calling for a pick-and-roll with Byron at the 5-spot.
The opposing center was dropping back to defend the pick-and-roll, but Andersen was full of energy. After Kayce drove, he made a bounce pass behind his back to Ibaka near the free-throw line, who then shot a jumper.
"Clank!" Another clank, and the long rebound was grabbed by Lawson, who once again initiated a fast break.
Facing Menor's defense, he drove straight to the basket and scored. Menor's build wasn't much taller than Lawson's, so he was at a disadvantage defensively.
Kayce saw that the situation was not good and immediately signaled his teammates to slow down the pace and not run with the opponent.
"Byron, try to grab some offensive rebounds when appropriate. It's okay if you don't get them, just don't let them run fast breaks," Kayce shouted to Byron while dribbling.
After crossing half-court, it was still a hand-off. Collison popped out directly after using Ibaka's back screen. Menor passed the ball straight to him, and Collison shot a jump shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Clank!" You guys are bending the rim! Did Russell infect you?
Kayce's mouth twitched, and he quickly called for his teammates to get back on defense. Byron caused a stir in the paint, and this time the Denver Nuggets couldn't get their fast break going.
Arron Afflalo, using Andersen's screen, caught the ball directly beyond the three-point line and shot a jumper. Collison was slow to switch on the screen, and the opponent exploited the open space.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in effortlessly.
Menor immediately passed the ball to Kayce, who came off a screen after crossing half-court. Upon receiving the ball, he used a crossover step and drove past his defender with the ball in his right hand.
Facing Andersen, who was coming over to help, he deliberately exposed the ball, changed his rhythm, and drove hard to the basket for a layup.
"Smack! And one!" Andersen committed a shooting foul, but unfortunately, the shot didn't go in.
Kayce stood at the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and calmly sank the free throw. This was a moment when points were needed.
For the next three minutes, both sides officially began a clanking war. Kayce frequently set up his teammates for assists, but the shots just wouldn't go in. He also took two bailout shots himself, which also clanked off the rim.
With six minutes left in the second quarter, the Denver Nuggets called a timeout; they were bringing in their starters.
"Good job, lads, take your shots when you have the opportunity, maintain your confidence, and take a rest," Coach Brooks was also a bit helpless. All that clanking was indeed hard to stomach.
The atmosphere among the home crowd wasn't very enthusiastic. Although the home team was leading, they were also clanking shots frequently; otherwise, they would have been leading by about 10 points already.
"I think my touch is back, Kayce, go get some rest!" Russell's ability to adjust his mentality was indeed strong; he had already regained his confidence.
After six minutes in the second quarter, both teams brought in their starting lineups. Billups calmly controlled the pace, and Anthony's touch remained hot, hitting mid-range jumpers, three-pointers, and drives with ease.
Coupled with JR Smith's minor outburst, the score was quickly pulled apart.
On the Thunder's side, they were possessed by the blacksmith, with Russell, Durant, and Thabo Sefolosha all clanking shots. Only a few shots from Kostić and Jeff Green went in.
But the Denver Nuggets' defense kept shrinking, eventually crowding the paint.
Coach Brooks was already helpless. Why were they so cold? You guys are bending the rim!
The live audience was roaring, already immersed in a sea of joy. The home team was constantly making shots, while the opponents were clanking them. This was the scene they loved the most.
"Perhaps we should inspect the rim. The Thunder frequently clanked shots in the second quarter. It seems Coach George Karl will have a much easier second half!"
The home commentators also joked about the Thunder's shooting.
On the last possession of the first half, Durant dribbled between his legs, then used a wide-range front-of-the-body crossover to drive directly into the paint, but he was fouled by Martin.
"Squeak!" The whistle blew, a shooting foul, and Durant went to the free-throw line.
With both free throws made, the first half ended, 58 to 48, with the Denver Nuggets leading by 10 points going into the second half.
During halftime, Coach Brooks began to motivate his players.
"Shoot boldly, lads, our shooting opportunities are good. The opponent's defense has started to collapse, so you must be decisive when you get an open look. Russell, if you get an open three-pointer, you must shoot it."
Russell nodded, indicating he understood. Due to constantly clanking shots, he eventually stopped taking jump shots and instead focused on drawing fouls.
Kayce saw that everyone's spirits were low and thought that perhaps this was the disadvantage of a young team. When things were going well, everything was smooth, but once they fell behind significantly, their emotions couldn't keep up.
At the start of the third quarter, Russell opened the scoring for the Thunder with a long-range three-pointer.
But under Billups' control, the Denver Nuggets played with ease, constantly utilizing Anthony as a strong point, either playing isolation or attracting defenders before quickly moving the ball to find open opportunities.
The Thunder's defense was also being shredded. They couldn't score and couldn't defend. Six minutes into the third quarter, the deficit had widened to 18 points, and Coach Brooks called another timeout.
"Kayce, Ibaka, when you get on the court, you must be decisive with your shots. Shoot when you have an opportunity. On defense, pay attention to protecting the rebounds; we can't give up any more rebounds."
Kayce nodded, indicating he understood. With the current deficit, it would be too difficult to catch up. This was the team that made it to the Western Conference Finals last year; the experience gap between the two sides was simply too great.
Sure enough, after the timeout, JR Smith erupted, hitting two completely unreasonable three-pointers, one of which was a 3+1 play.
Coach Brooks shook his head helplessly. They were indeed the team that battled the Los Angeles Lakers last season; there was indeed a gap between the two sides.
Taking advantage of the free throw, he pulled the starters and put in the benchwarmers. Kayce and Ibaka were still on the court.
Seeing this situation, Kayce could only sigh helplessly in his heart. The Thunder were truly the Brick Brothers right now!
"In garbage time, be brave and fight. It's also good to seize the opportunity to level up some badges."