Wang Yi's assist set the tone for the first two quarters.
The Lakers' defensive strategy was to swarm one player with all five defenders.
They didn't double-team Wang Yi when he had the ball on the perimeter, but as soon as he stepped inside the three-point line, all five players would close in on him.
Wang Yi didn't force a shot. He was capable of shooting over the five-man defense, but his teammates had more opportunities when the opposing team swarmed him.
So he passed to Bond, who dunked;
he passed to Little Danny, who drove in for a layup;
he passed to Danny, who hit a three;
he passed to Tures, who dunked.
For the entire first quarter, Wang Yi kept dunking for the first four minutes, then spent the rest of the time setting up his teammates. With almost no one guarding them, they scored with ease.
On the Lakers' side, King Arthur really was a prolific scorer. He seemed determined to go head-to-head with Wang Yi today.
So even when he faced double- or even triple-teams from the Kings, he still forced his way into the paint, either drawing a foul or making the layup.
At the end of the first quarter, King Arthur had racked up 15 points.
Wang Yi had only 8, but he had already dished out 8 assists in the first quarter alone.
King Arthur was practically taking on the entire Kings team by himself.
The Kings led the Lakers 32–28 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lakers changed their defensive strategy. They stopped swarming Wang Yi at every opportunity.
They knew Wang Yi had excellent court vision, and that whenever they double-teamed him, he would pass the ball out.
The other Kings players were in great form today, and they