MVP Sheppard! Rockets 49-46 Nuggets at halftime, look at the data: He is the number one contributor!

Jokic had 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, Brown had 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 3 steals, Hardaway Jr. had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Murray had 7 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists, Valanciunas had 6 points and 1 rebound, Watson had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, Johnson had 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, Gordon had 1 point and 2 rebounds, Spencer Jones had 3 boards

Shepard had 20 points, 2 assists and 2 steals, Durant had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals, Amen. 7 points and 1 rebound, Shen Jing 5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Okogie 3 points, Adams 2 points and 5 rebounds, Smith 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists

The NBA Cup continues on November 22, and the Western Conference will usher in a much-anticipated showdown. The Denver Nuggets, first and second in Group C, face off against the Houston Rockets. This game starts at the home court of the Houston Rockets. This game is not only a test of the strength of the two sides, but also a battle for the top spot in Group C. It can be said that whoever wins this game will have a high probability of qualifying. Therefore, there is no need to mobilize for this game. The two teams aiming to compete for the championship will go all out to contribute a classic showdown for us! Since the start of the game, the Nuggets have recorded 11 wins and 3 losses and are currently ranked second in the Western Conference. Since the start of the game, the Nuggets have averaged 124.6 points per game, first in the league, second in the league in offensive efficiency of 121.8, sixth in the league in points conceded per game of 113.1, and third in the league in defensive efficiency of 110.5! After the offseason lineup upgrade, the Nuggets have transformed from a team with strong offense and weak defense and weak substitutes to a top championship contending team with balanced offense and defense and good substitutes. This season, Jokic averaged 29.1 points, 13.2 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game. He shot 64% from the field and 40% from three-point range. He had the most efficient season of his career. The difference from before is that this season Jokic does not look tired at all!

The Rockets, who are playing at home, are not far behind. They currently rank third in the Western Conference with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses. They have won all the past 5 games and the team is in very good shape. So far this season, they are second in the league in points scored at 123.9 points per game, fifth in the league in points conceded at 112.5 points per game, first in the league in offensive efficiency, and sixth in the league in defensive efficiency. They are also a top powerhouse with balanced offense and defense. Looking at the entire league, the Nuggets and Rockets are the only teams capable of stopping the Thunder from defending their title. The joining of Durant solved the Rockets' offensive problem at the root. In this campaign, the Rockets will continue to use the "five dead" starters of Amen, Durant, Jabari, Shen Jing, and Adams. It will be interesting to see how Jokic can perform against the combination of Adams and Shen Jing. The showdown between the two top centers Shen Jing and Jokic will be a direct one. Determining the trend of the game, the Rockets are a team that is very good at secondary attacks. The Nuggets need to pay special attention to the protection of rebounds. In addition, the scoring battle between Murray and Durant is also worth looking forward to. Although the Rockets' record looks good this season, many problems are always exposed when facing a truly strong team. This game is a good opportunity to prove their strength!

At the beginning of the game, the Nuggets took the lead in attacking. The Nuggets arranged for Watson to defend Durant and Johnson to defend Amen. The Rockets asked Amen to defend Murray. Murray blocked the inside and hit a high rebound. Amen also raised his hand in the middle distance while holding the ball. Murray dribbled over and directly hit a three-pointer. The Nuggets started 5-2. Amen was fouled while holding the ball and the Rockets continued to attack. Shen Jing broke through the inside and made a layup, and the score was 4-5. Gordon made a strong inside attack and made two free throws. Durant and Adams fended off the latter and caused Johnson's second foul. Unfortunately, he missed both free throws! Jokic grabbed the rebound, Gordon came over to try and missed a three-pointer and gave the ball to the Rockets. Amen's attempt to hit the inside was blocked, but Watson made a fast break. Smith missed an open three-pointer. Gordon tried to draw a foul but was blown away. In this collision, Gordon was injured and went straight off the court and returned to the locker room. The Nuggets went up to Varan to set up the twin towers. Smith and Varan each missed three-pointers, and both sides' shooting percentages were very low. After 5 minutes of play, the score was 8-4. The Nuggets grabbed consecutive offensive rebounds. Hardaway finally hit his third three-point shot. Durant faced Watson's throw and made it with difficulty.

The game came to the second half of the first quarter. Jokic scored suddenly and assisted Varan in a throw-in. The Nuggets always maintained a 13-6 lead. Jokic's midline pass was intercepted. Durant made a fast break dunk. In transition, Adams fouled Jokic under the basket. At 8-13, the game entered an official timeout. Returning to the game, the Rockets made a mistake in the middle of the game. Varan hit Capela with a back inside but failed to score. Capela turned around and tried to hit Varan with a goal but was also blocked. Jokic made a mistake in a long pass. I have to say that this game is ugly so far. It has not played to the level of the top two offensive teams in the league. Jokic made a steady three-point shot, and the two sides were finally able to score. Shen Jing tried to hit Jokic but failed, and Capela missed the alley-oop. Watson converted the Nuggets' 18-8 lead to 10 points. Smith's pass was intercepted. Watson took the ball quickly and caused Amen to foul, and made one of two free throws. The Rockets went up to Okogie and Shepard to see if they could change the situation. Bruce Brown directly confronted Shepard. Jokic took the ball inside and turned around and was fouled. The Nuggets called timeout! Back to the game, Jokic made one of two free throws and the Rockets rebound was blown away. After the first quarter, the Rockets trailed 12-25!

At the beginning of the second quarter, Jokic took a break to see if the Rockets could seize the opportunity. Shepard missed a three-pointer and the Rockets finally had an offensive rebound. When they reached the top of the arc, Shepard used the deflection to block the three-pointer and hit it. Murray wanted to respond but failed to respond. Shen Jing came back and beat Jones to get a free throw opportunity. The Rockets made two free throws to chase the score to 16-25. Johnson missed a three-pointer and the Nuggets advanced again. On the court rebound, Brown missed a throw and Johnson almost had an offensive rebound. Amen's rim was destroyed. Johnson's confident three-point shot still missed. Shen Jing's pass was intercepted. Murray easily made a layup on a fast break. Varan also continued his firepower under the basket. Shen Jing used his personal ability to hit a goal. Brown quickly attacked the basket and hit a layup. Shepard broke through to challenge Varan's difficult game. He became the best player in the Rockets! Shen Jing fell to the ground to steal Murray, and Shepard dunked with both hands in the frontcourt. The Rockets were only 7 points behind 24-31, and the Nuggets were forced to timeout.. Back to the game, Varan made a mistake, and Shepard hit another shot from the mid-range. It was amazing!

Bruce Brown scored two consecutive baskets. No one else on the Rockets except Shepard could score points. Brown dribbled the ball and faced Shepard for a quick layup, causing the latter to foul. After making two free throws, Brown scored 6 points in a row. The Nuggets regained the lead 37-26 by 11 points. The game came to the last five and a half minutes of the first half, and the main players of both sides slowly returned to the court. Durant hit a three-pointer, and Shepard's three-pointer quickly returned to 5 points. The Nuggets took a timeout, and everyone came to praise Shepard, a young man. No matter how the game ends today, Shepard's performance during this period deserves everyone's praise. He stood up to support the team when all the big brothers failed. Back to the game, the Nuggets missed consecutive attacks. Shepard converted and hit another three-pointer. Shen Jing defended Jokic Shepard and passed Amen to the basket. The Rockets went ahead 38-37. Hardaway Jr. scored 4 points in a row to help the Nuggets stop the bleeding. Shepard continued to hit unreasonable three-pointers, which was an MVP-level performance. Jokic made a three-pointer and Amen 2+1. The Nuggets violated the law at 24 seconds in the last half of the first half. Smith tricked Johnson into fouling. After making two of three free throws, the Rockets led the Nuggets 49-46 into the halftime break!

Look at the data: He is the number one hero!

The number one hero (Shepard): 20 points, 2 assists and 2 steals on 8-of-11 shots in the half, with a plus-minus value of +14! There is nothing to say, Sheppard played an MVP-level performance. When the big brother in the team was suppressed, he stood up and led the team to reverse the lead with hard tackles again and again! So cool!