The Kings relied on their airtight team defense to shut down the Bucks' offense once again.
On the other end, the Kings tried to push the pace.
But Bronny stayed in front of Wang Yi, denying him the ball, and the other Kings players simply weren't fast enough.
So the fast break went nowhere.
The Kings had no choice but to set up in the half court. Even then, the Bucks kept all five defenders on the paint line, playing an extremely compact zone.
Against a defense packed that tightly, the Kings should have been able to step in from beyond the arc and take midrange shots. But their shooting had been ice-cold all night.
Wang Yi caught the ball beyond the three-point line again.
Once he had it, none of the defenders came out to guard his three.
That would have been unthinkable in the past.
At his peak, Wang Yi's three-point percentage had been nearly 50%. Teams had sent two-man traps at him beyond the arc. What team would dare leave him open?
Even when his three-point shot was off in a particular game, no team had dared to leave him completely unguarded.
But at the start of this season, Wang Yi hadn't just been inaccurate from three—he'd been downright terrible. He no longer carried the same threat he once had, so the Bucks dared to leave him completely open, knowing his three wasn't falling tonight.
Wang Yi knew his three wasn't falling either. Even with all that space, he couldn't shoot, so he dribbled inside the arc again.
Then he began crossing the ball from hand to hand.
After five straight crossovers, he suddenly picked up the pace.
At one point, he gave a sudden fake to the left, then tried to drive right.
But just as