After Wemby got the ball in the paint, Dog was still the one guarding him.
Doug chuckled. "Hey, kid, just a reminder: you'd better not jump."
Wemby's heart tightened.
So when he attacked on the next possession, he didn't jump.
That proved to be a mistake. Wang Yi flew in from behind and swatted the ball away with a powerful block.
Over the next few possessions, Wemby didn't dare jump when he attacked in the paint. But without jumping, his offense felt awkward.
On the other end, the Kings players saw how Wang Yi had gone right at Wemby and left him helpless. Fired up, they took turns driving straight at him in the paint.
Some of them turned the ball over; others were blocked by Wemby.
But those were costs they could afford.
Three minutes into the second quarter, with the Kings relentlessly attacking Wemby, the lead continued to shrink.
But when it had fallen to three points, Danny drove at Wemby and drew his fourth foul.
That threw the Hornets' rotation plan completely out of order.
More importantly, once Wemby went to the bench, Wang Yi had the Kings' coach immediately take Dog out and put Bond in.
Bond had been saved for this moment.
He was far more capable on offense than Doug.
Against the opposing backup center, Bond had a clear advantage, dominating at both ends of the floor.
Just like that, the lead began to grow again.
For the rest of the second quarter, Wang Yi and Danny took turns guarding LaMelo Ball.
That completely shut LaMelo down. And with Wemby stuck on the bench because of foul trouble, the lead gradually widened.
By the end of the second quarter, the Kings were up by ten.
When the third quarter began, the Kings focused even