In the ninth minute of the first quarter, the Pacers led the Nuggets 21-17.

It was just normal play for the Pacers, who returned to normal shooting percentage after Bird's adjustments.

Comparatively speaking, the state of the Nuggets can be described as bad, except for Ji Liang, who scored 13 points, the rest of the players repeatedly missed, McDice shot 0 of 3, and only scored two points from the free throw line, Billups shot 1 of 3, Fortson shot 0 of 2, and Washington shot 0 of 1. And with Miller's close defense, Stich didn't have a chance to shoot.

The team-mates' hands were collectively cold, and as the game continued, their hands might recover.

Judging from the situation, only Ji Liang is normal, even if Rose tries his best to defend, it is still difficult to restrict, and he supports the team's offense alone, otherwise the Nuggets are likely to fall behind by double digits.

During the official timeout, the Nuggets made a substitution, with Ji Liang and Fortson continuing to play and skimming the bench.

On the other side, the Pacers also did not use the bench as well, instead fielding a semi-main lineup consisting of Jackson, Mullin, Rose, Antonio Davis and Sam Perkins.

Among them, Perkins is also a Diamond Generation '84 player, and his draft pick is below Jordan, ranking fourth in the first round.

It's a pity that although Perkins was also selected to the first team of the class of 84, his edge is far inferior to alumnus Jordan, but no one dares to ignore this big man who can shoot coldly from the three-point line.

Perkins has excellent shooting ability and can extend his effective range beyond the three-point line, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the ability to go to the restricted area.

In contrast, Perkins is no slouch for his close-to-basket footwork, but perhaps because of his focus on perimeter technique, Perkins is still best known for his perimeter shooting.

In addition, on the occasion of SuperSonic's 35th anniversary, Perkins received 45% of the votes for the team's all-time bench player selection, ranking first among all candidates.

Even though Perkins is 38 years old, he can still exert his residual heat in a limited time. Perkins, who had just come out of the game, stood outside the three-point line, and after receiving a pass from Jackson, he shot at Fortson.

Swish~

After Perkins hit a three-pointer, Ji Liang shouted at Fortson, "Danny, concentrate, don't give him an easy shot!"

Compared with Fortson, Perkins has a height and reach advantage, but he is getting old, and the decline in confrontation is inevitable, as long as Fortson is close to the match, it is difficult for Perkins to have a chance to shoot again.

"I see!"

Fortson slapped his chest hard and was ** by Perkins, making him feel very shameless.

The ball of the Nuggets team, Chi Liang naturally became the core of the bench lineup, but because he wasted a lot of physical strength before, he mainly distributed the ball in the next offense.

Unlike the main lineup, the feel of the bench lineup was not affected, and with the assistance of Ji Liang, the Nuggets blossomed in many ways and scored one after another.

Despite this, the Nuggets not only did not narrow the point difference, but also had a tendency to be pulled away.

The reason is simple, the Pacers' efficiency is just as impressive, especially Mullin, who hit two three-pointers in a row.

31:26

By the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets were already trailing by five points.

In the second quarter of the game, the Nuggets' starters recovered slightly, but they were still not as efficient as the Pacers, especially during the rest of Ji Liang, who was completely suppressed by the Pacers.

In addition, McDyce is in extremely poor condition, and he makes mistakes again and again, giving people the feeling of sleepwalking.

By the end of the first half, the difference between the two sides had widened to double digits.

At half-time, D'Antoni promoted Chi Liang to partner McDyce in the penalty area.

As for the perimeter, it is made up of Williams, Billups and Alexander, respectively.

Compared to the Pacers, this lineup is obviously more flexible, but this lineup also has a clear shortcoming, that is, sacrificing height.

After the start of the third quarter, Chi Liang's performance on the offensive end was still excellent, his opponent Davis was 211 cm, although his steps were quite flexible, but there was still a big gap with Chi Liang.

Just made a circle from the bottom line, and Chi Liang easily got rid of Davis's entanglement and ran outside the 45° three-point line on the left side.

Without hesitation, Alexander passed the ball to Ji Liang.

Before Davis pounced, Ji Liang stretched his posture and shot outside the three-point line.

Swish~

The goal was scored to narrow the margin to single digits.

In the later process, Chi Liang frequently used his flexible footsteps to get rid of Davis and score again and again, or attract the defense and assist his teammates to score.

It's just that on the defensive end, the Nuggets have no way to beat the Pacers, their individual ability is very strong, coupled with tacit cooperation and height advantage, it is difficult for the Nuggets to take advantage.

The pace of attack and defense on both sides was very slow, and the fast attack was almost eliminated. The Pacers' roster is aging badly and is already slow-paced. And the Nuggets can't raise the tempo at all and can't lead the Pacers to speed up the tempo.

No way, Jackson is experienced and has too much ability to master the rhythm.

Time passed slowly, and seeing that the third quarter was about to end, Jackson undoubtedly dragged on even more, so he took care of his back dribble and used his back to consume time.

Alexander did not dare to be negligent, he tried his best to resist, but due to the difference in tonnage, he was hit by Jackson and kept retreating.

With five seconds left on the offensive clock, Jackson took advantage of the turn to easily wipe out Alexander, and after attracting Billups' reinforcements, he used a ground-hitting pass to pass the ball to Miller.

Billups wanted to get back to the defense, but before he could do so, he saw Miller jump up and shoot the basketball in his hand.

Swish~

Miller hit a three-pointer to extend the margin back to double digits.

At this time, there are still 3 seconds left before the end of the third quarter.

After McDyce served, Ji Liang held the ball and advanced quickly, but due to limited time, as soon as he passed the middle circle, he had to jump up and shoot the basketball hard.

At the moment when Ji Liang threw the basketball, the remaining time in the third quarter was all gone.

Bang~唰~

The basketball flew high, sliced through a long arc, slammed hard into the rebound, and then bounced off the basket.

It was a long-range three-pointer that narrowed the margin back to single digits. At the same time, Ji Liang's personal score reached 27 points.

"You can get in!"

"Balloons!"

……

After Ji Liang hit a long-range three-pointer, Pacers fans were surprised at first, but their surprise came and went quickly, and in their opinion, it was just a balloon.

For Chi Liang, it's not just luck, it's also closely related to his archery.