De'Anthony saw that Wang Yi looked exhausted, slumped against his chair as if he couldn't be bothered to say a word.
So he spoke to Wang Yi first.
"Wang, I know you've never given up since you started playing. You never quit before the final second. But given the situation today, I think the smartest thing to do is keep you off the floor. We'll pull our starters, save our strength, and try to win the next game."
Wang Yi glanced at head coach De'Anthony and nodded. "Coach, it's your call."
De'Anthony was a little surprised.
He knew Wang Yi was strong-willed, competitive, and combative.
Under normal circumstances, Wang Yi would never give up before the final second. Even when he knew they would lose, he would still fight to the very end.
There had been several times when the team had already decided to strategically concede a game, only for him to claw them back into it through sheer ability.
That showed just how fiercely competitive Wang Yi was.
So De'Anthony had prepared a long speech to persuade Wang Yi to sit out the rest of the game.
He hadn't expected Wang Yi to agree so easily.
Still surprised, he reached out and put a hand on Wang Yi's shoulder.
He meant to comfort him.
With Wang Yi's strong-willed nature, he must have found it hard to give up today.
"Wang, you've already done more than enough. I'll take responsibility for this loss."
Wang Yi only shook his head and said nothing.
With Wang Yi off the floor, the Kings' deficit kept growing.
The game finally ended with the score at 90–135.
The Kings lost by 45 points.
They'd more than paid back the margin from Game 1.
Wang Yi finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists.