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Four minutes into the second quarter, the starting lineups of both teams returned to the court.

The Nuggets had possession of the ball, and Carmelo Anthony and Zhou Yi were positioned on the left side of the free-throw line.

In this offensive possession, Melo did not give the ball back to Billups.

Looking at the Clippers' basket, Carmelo Anthony's eyes were filled with nothing but the desire to score.

Across from Melo, Zhou Yi stretched out his arm as far as he could. When he noticed Melo's momentary distraction, Zhou Yi's large hand reached directly for the basketball.

The sudden outstretched hand startled Melon, who quickly pulled the ball back, but Zhou Yi's terrifyingly large hand size still exceeded Melon's expectations.

"Steal! Zhou steals the ball from Cameron face-to-face!"

Zhou Yi broke the melon and passed the ball to Baron Davis, who was on a fast break and dunked it in.

In the TNT studio, when Zhou Yi intercepted Melo's pass, Flying Pig Barkley's breath seemed to stop for a moment.

"Wow! That's amazing! Zhou Yi helped the Clippers tie the score right away."

The Clippers' score made Barkley dance with excitement in his chair, making the chair creak.

Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller, who voted to support the Nuggets, covered their foreheads in dismay. If the Clippers had won this game, Barkley's big mouth would have been laughing at them for a month.

"Look, this is the Book of Changes; it always delivers miraculous results at crucial moments."

Looking at the I Ching on the screen, Barkley was incredibly glad he had chosen the Clippers before the game.

On the field, Melo's face darkened immediately after being tackled.

In the following rounds, Melo chose to keep holding the ball and stand opposite Zhou Yi.

Carmelo Anthony can still score thanks to his size and skill, but the constant battles with Zhou Yi make his offense less efficient.

When Carmelo Anthony chose to stand and attack Zhou Yi one-on-one, the other four Nuggets players were left in an awkward position.

One person holds the ball, while four people watch.

Without the ability to create their own attacks, Kenyon Martin and Nene became helpless, and Melo's weak passing ability also prevented him from passing the ball to the striker under Zhou Yi's blockade.

Two points, four points, six points.

With one minute left in the second quarter, the Nuggets, who had been leading in the first quarter, were now down by six points.

George Karl on the sidelines couldn't stand it anymore, so he called a timeout and substituted Carmelo Anthony.

On the bench, George Karl stood next to Melo and kept talking, his spittle even splashing onto Melo's jersey.

"That's enough, George. I don't need you to teach me how to play."

Melo's words stunned George Karl for a second. The coach, known for his fiery temper and discipline, widened his eyes and his chest heaved violently.

"We can't win like this!"

When people are extremely disgusted, they will choose to ignore the other person. After saying this, George Karl turned his head to look at the field.

On the court, Zhou Yi was constantly sprinting to help defend and fighting hard to grab rebounds.

Looking at Zhou Yi, his opponent on the field, George Karl's eyes revealed a look of great admiration.

That Clippers number eight was practically the perfect player in George Karl's eyes.

His constant movement and integration into the tactics on offense, coupled with his efficient scoring, showcased his unparalleled offensive talent.

On the defensive end, this young man is also full of passion and discipline, becoming a defensive anchor for the Clippers' perimeter.

Then look at Carmelo Anthony on his own team, who loves to dribble and play one-on-one and has a lazy defensive attitude.

This was the first time George Karl had ever envied the opposing coach so much.

As soon as Carmelo Anthony left the court, Chauncey Billups regained possession and scored two points in the final possession.

The Clippers led 50-54 at halftime, maintaining a four-point advantage.

In the away team's locker room, Carmelo Anthony grinned as he looked at the stat sheet in his hand.

In the second quarter, Melo's relentless one-on-one play earned him 12 points, while Zhou Yi scored 8 points.

In the Clippers vs. Cavaliers game, LeBron James didn't even score more points than Zhou Yi, so the scoring order now is Carmelo Anthony > Zhou Yi > LeBron James.

With that in mind, Melo took out his phone and opened LeBron's text message.

"Hey LeBron, I'll avenge you in this game, brother."

......

After halftime, both teams returned to the field.

The four-point deficit prompted George Karl to make a decision: he benched Anthony for two minutes.

Without Carmelo Anthony's isolation plays, the Nuggets' offense became even more potent, with Billups connecting the Nuggets' high-flying players.

They chose to constantly attack the Clippers' basket, which put the older Camby in foul trouble.

*Beep*—The referee blew the whistle, and Mike Malone called a timeout.

DeAndre Jordan was brought on to replace Camby, and Kaman moved to the power forward position.

Carmelo Anthony on the bench was already restless, and Zhou Yi scored two more points, bringing the score difference between the two to just two points.

Carmelo Anthony is the Nuggets' star player, and George Karl didn't dare to keep him on the bench indefinitely. With the Clippers' timeout, Anthony returned to the court.

During the timeout and substitution, George Karl and Billups whispered a few words to each other on the sidelines.

The game continued, the Clippers had possession, Baron Davis missed a mid-range shot, and the Nuggets trailed by one point.

Carmelo Anthony was thrilled to be back on the field, ready to engage in another exhilarating offensive battle with Zhou Yi.

Billups' actions, however, greatly displeased Carmelo Anthony. Instead of passing the ball to Anthony who had raised his hand, Billups continued to deal cards based on the situation on the field.

In the third quarter, the two sides traded leads.

With Billups controlling the ball, the Nuggets displayed a balanced attack, showcasing superior athleticism and shooting skills.

On the Clippers' side, Zhou Yi's performance was the main reason they were able to keep the score close.

Despite facing Carmelo Anthony's defense, Zhou Yi always managed to find offensive opportunities to drive inside and shoot from outside.

He either shoots directly over Melo and scores, or he capitalizes on Melo's loose defensive positioning and cuts to the basket for a dunk.

On the sidelines, George Karl's gaze toward Zhou Yi grew increasingly eager, and a thought even suddenly popped into his mind.

What if Carmelo Anthony and Zhou Yi were swapped?

If he can coach the I Ching, he can guarantee a championship for the Nuggets within three years.

This thought, like a Pandora's box unleashed, kept swirling in George Karl's mind.

At the end of the third quarter, Zhou Yi returned to the sidelines to rest.

With the score tied at 81-81, this highly anticipated match, which had garnered significant media and fan attention, was about to enter its final, intense phase.

There's a reason the Nuggets are ranked second in the Western Conference this season: they not only have Carmelo Anthony with his explosive offense, but also a bunch of good players.

Billups's experience made Baron Davis very uncomfortable, and the combination of Nuggets' interior players Nene and Kenyon Martin also limited Kaman and Jordan.

In contrast, Zhou Yi seems to be the only strong point for the Clippers.

On the bench, McMalone kept tapping on the whiteboard to arrange tactics, the core of which was one method.

Hand that damn basketball over to Zhou Yi.

Inside the TNT studio, a sweating Barkley nervously pinched his thigh hard.

"Zhou, please help me win just this once."