On January 15th, Beijing time, the Nuggets defeated the Mavericks 118-99 on the road, securing their fourth consecutive victory. Their record now stands at 24 wins and 15 losses, closing in on the top three in the Western Conference, just half a game behind the Grizzlies, with the potential to overtake them soon. The Nuggets were in top form, leading by 26 points at halftime, making the second half almost a garbage time. If not for their relaxation in the fourth quarter, the margin of victory would have been even greater. The Mavericks, without Doncic, suffered their second consecutive loss, dropping to sixth in the West with a record of 22 wins and 18 losses, only half a game ahead of the Lakers, risking falling out of the play-in tournament. In this game, Murray was the standout performer for the Nuggets. He fought hard for 37 minutes, shooting 18 times out of 26 attempts, scoring an impressive 45 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. This marks the fifth time in his career that he has scored 40+ points in a regular-season game, setting a new high for the season. With the season nearing its halfway point and the entire Nuggets team back in action, they are expected to further improve their ranking, undoubtedly becoming one of the top contenders for the championship. Jokic willingly played a supporting role, shooting 4 out of 7, securing an economical triple-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. Porter shot 5 out of 9, scoring 13 points. Westbrook also contributed with…

On January 1st, Beijing time, in a game that has already ended, the Lakers lost to the Cavaliers at home with a score of 110-122. James welcomed his first game after turning 40 years old. Although his performance was not explosive, it was not disappointing either. He made 9 out of 17 shots, including 3 out of 6 three-pointers, scoring 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, which is a moderate set of statistics. Of course, looking at it from another angle, it's quite remarkable that James can still score 20+4+7 after turning 40, because many NBA superstars didn't even play until they were 40, such as Kobe, Chamberlain, Bird, and Magic Johnson; and there are also some superstars whose first game after turning 40 was not as good as James'. Let's take a look at how some of the historical superstars performed in their first game after turning 40. Duncan: Due to his birthday, Duncan's first game after turning 40 was in the playoffs. On April 30, 2016, at the age of 40 years and 5 days, Duncan scored 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in his first game after turning 40, as the Spurs defeated the Thunder by 32 points. Jordan: Jordan's first game after turning 40 was on February 19, 2003. The Wizards lost to the Hornets, with Jordan making 8 out of 23 shots and 4 out of 6 free throws, scoring 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, which is not as good as James. However, in the second game after turning 40, Jordan…

In an NBA career, is it possible for any superstar to always be the team's first core? Being the team leader involves not only outperforming the rest of the team in statistics but also considering influence. Therefore, combining these two aspects and adding a minimum of a 10-year career, the number of players who have achieved this can be counted on one hand. Bill Russell played 13 seasons for one team, averaging 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game. The "Ring King" is one of the greatest players in Celtics history and was always the team's first core throughout his career. Although he averaged only 9.9 points in his last season, he still managed to grab 19.3 rebounds per game, which was due to his playing style. In contrast, Chamberlain, his contemporary, played second fiddle to West later in his career, hence not making the list. Michael Jordan played 13 seasons for two teams, averaging 30.1 points per game. The "Basketball God" was the first core of both the Bulls and the Wizards. Since his first season in the NBA, Chicago has been dedicated to cultivating Jordan, and as a rookie, he could score 28.2 points! In his last two seasons, at the ages of 39-40, Jordan was still the leader of the Wizards, scoring 22.9 points in the first season and 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals in the second year! Magic Johnson played 13 seasons for one team, averaging 19.5 points and 11.2 assists per game. Johnson is one of the greatest Lakers players. In…

The match between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain was simply unbelievable! Bahrain's 3-2 comeback victory against Saudi Arabia was an explosive battle. Just looking at the post-match celebration scene of the Bahraini players, one could feel their unparalleled joy. You might think they only won a regular group stage match, but this victory was like winning the World Cup, with celebrations that shook the sky, and you could almost hear the cheers of all Bahraini fans. The Saudi team lost this match, and their mood hit rock bottom, which can be described as utterly devastated. Look at their post-match performance; some players were sitting on the field in a daze, with expressions so heavy that they seemed ready to burst into tears. The head coach looked dejected, and the atmosphere made even the spectators feel uneasy. Before this match, the Saudi team had already gone six games without a win, and the last victory against China seemed to be their final glory. Unexpectedly, in the first round of the Gulf Cup, they were brutally defeated by Bahrain, and their mood plummeted. At the beginning of the match, Saudi Arabia seemed to have the upper hand, controlling the rhythm quite well. However, surprisingly, Bahrain's counterattack was like a shot of adrenaline, quickly taking control of the game. In the 19th minute, Bahrain's Mahdi Jabbar mercilessly opened the scoring with a clean and decisive goal, leaving Saudi Arabia unresponsive as the score became 0-1. This was not the end; in the 38th minute, Mahdi Humaidan of Bahrain pushed the ball into the net…