mtl008 415 The Thunder never give up!
415 The Thunder never give up!
The timeout ended, and the game resumed. The Thunder's beautiful cheerleaders, who were performing on the court, quickly left.
The cheers and applause from the audience gradually subsided, and a tense atmosphere filled the entire stadium.
Finally, the players from both sides took to the court, ready to begin the intense competition of the final half of the game.
Despite trailing by thirteen points, the Thunder refused to give up easily.
They resolutely fielded their main lineup, hoping to launch a counterattack at the last moment.
However, the Thunder only brought in Harden from their bench. Although he was called a substitute, he was actually more like a starter sitting on the bench.
So far in the game, apart from Harden taking a short rest at the beginning, none of the Thunder's key players have had a single minute of rest off the court.
This has led to physical limitations gradually becoming one of the major challenges facing the Thunder.
After the game restarted, Westbrook received the ball and, facing Gordon who had just returned to the court, cleverly used his teammate's screen to successfully shake off his opponent.
Surprisingly, Westbrook did not choose to shoot himself, but instead passed the ball back to Durant.
Upon receiving the ball, Durant did not hesitate. Facing David Lee, who had also just returned to the court, he decisively launched a precise three-pointer.
As the basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air, the entire audience held their breath.
When the ball fell perfectly into the basket, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.
Thunder fans were thrilled, witnessing the team's indomitable fighting spirit and tenacity.
This three-pointer not only brought the Thunder back to within three points, but also injected new energy and confidence into the team.
Su Hao and his teammates didn't expect Durant to be on such a hot streak.
Durant's shooting touch is still surprisingly good, continuing his previous hot streak.
His outstanding performance gave his Thunder teammates and coaches a glimmer of hope for winning.
On the Thunder's side, the players high-fived each other in celebration, and the head coach took the opportunity to encourage everyone.
"We still have a chance, stay focused!"
The game continued, and the ball was passed to Curry.
He quickly changed direction, performed a dribbling move, then took a step back and launched a three-pointer.
"Bang!" The ball bounced off the rim.
This time, luck was on the Thunder's side once again.
The rebound bounced high to the outside and landed in Westbrook's hands.
After receiving the ball, Westbrook stared intently at the basket, seemingly ready to drive into the paint and pose a threat to the Clippers.
But when he saw Su Hao standing in the paint, a moment of hesitation suddenly flashed through his mind.
He knew that breaking through Su Hao's defenses would not be easy, and he might even find himself in trouble.
So he decisively abandoned the idea of driving into the paint and passed the ball to Durant.
At this point, Durant had found his shooting touch and was full of confidence.
After receiving the ball, he didn't hesitate to face David Lee, who was already in position to defend, and jumped up to shoot a beautiful three-pointer. The whole movement was fluid and seamless, as if the three-pointer was a sure thing.
Unfortunately, the basketball did not fall into the basket as expected, but bounced off the edge of the rim.
It was a real shame that the shot missed; if it had gone in, the score difference between the Thunder and the Clippers would have been reduced to single digits.
This would make the Thunder's situation much more optimistic, as their outside offense has finally been opened up.
If they can maintain a certain shooting percentage, they have a good chance of turning the tide.
However, Durant's shot ultimately missed, and as the basketball bounced off the rim, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. While on the surface he seemed only disappointed with his performance, it was actually more of a sense of helplessness.
After all, this shooting opportunity was hard-won, but he failed to capitalize on it.
Just then, Su Hao displayed amazing rebounding ability.
He leaped high into the air amidst the crowd, caught the basketball bouncing off the rim, and quickly passed it to Curry.
After receiving the ball, Curry immediately launched a counterattack, leading the team to a new round of offensive.
Curry dribbled past his opponent quickly and charged towards the basket like a whirlwind.
The Thunder players rushed back on defense, but Curry was too fast, and they couldn't stop him.
Under the basket, Curry leaped high, ready for a beautiful layup.
However, at that moment, Westbrook appeared in front of Curry like lightning, blocking his path.
A sly glint flashed in Curry's eyes as he quickly made a feint, trying to fool Westbrook.
However, Westbrook wasn't so easily fooled. He stuck to Curry tightly, giving him no chance whatsoever. Left with no other option, Curry had to abandon his layup attempt and pass the ball out.
The ball arced through the air and eventually came into Gordon's hands.
At this moment, Curry did not choose to pass the ball to Su Hao immediately.
This action puzzled his teammates on the field.
They couldn't help but wonder why Curry didn't pass the ball to Su Hao. Was there some special tactical arrangement?
However, Gordon did not hesitate at all after receiving the ball, and he decisively passed the ball to Su Hao.
Meanwhile, Coach Brooks anxiously shouted from the sidelines onto the court, "Stop him!"
Perkins, under the basket, reluctantly rushed forward to defend, while Ibaka, standing some distance away, didn't step in to help this time. After all, he already had five fouls, and another foul would send him off the court.
Moreover, facing such a powerful opponent as Su Hao, he knew that it would be difficult for him to completely stop Su Hao's attack.
He had already suffered a lot at the hands of Su Hao before, and the task of defending under the basket was not originally his responsibility.
Although he really wanted to win, he didn't want to get six fouls and leave the court because of his defense against Su Hao.
As a result, a one-on-one defensive and offensive situation has now formed under the basket.
Looking at the somewhat unassuming Perkins in front of him, Su Hao didn't choose to force a dunk, but instead opted for a relatively easy hook shot. With a gentle flick of his wrist, the basketball, like an obedient child, flew over Perkins' head and into the basket.
The entire movement was fluid and effortless, simple and casual.
Despite a slight improvement in the Thunder's offense, their defense remained fragile under Su Hao's powerful offensive onslaught.
Fortunately, this time Perkins did not completely follow the head coach's instructions and stick to the paint.
Just as Su Hao was about to make his move, he took a step back and withdrew his outstretched arm to avoid a possible foul.
This action infuriated Coach Brooks, who was furious that his players were disobeying instructions.