Unable to do anything else, he turned to face the basket and went straight up for the jumper.
The Jazz center, Walker, clearly hadn't expected Dauding to dare take the shot.
After all, Dauding had never been a particularly reliable shooter.
He'd made five of his first seven shots in this game, but in the fourth quarter, he'd made only one of his first five.
That showed how much the drop in his stamina was affecting his accuracy.
Walker had assumed Dauding wouldn't dare shoot again so soon. He hadn't expected him to let it fly right then.
Caught completely off guard, Walker watched the ball sail over his head and slip neatly through the hoop.
At first, Dauding hadn't dared shoot either. But when he saw that none of his teammates had a chance to receive a pass, he remembered Wang Yi's words before the game: If you get an opening, take the shot without hesitation. The game had already gone this far. If he kept playing scared, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself afterward.
So when he saw there was no one to pass to, he chose to shoot. He hadn't expected it to go in.
And for the Raptors, who hadn't scored in a long while, those two points were worth their weight in gold.
The Jazz launched another fast break.
This time, their small forward, Tracy McGrady, dribbled straight to the basket, then passed to Horton Tucker in the left corner.
Horton Tucker caught the ball and calmly sank the three.
The Raptors came back down the court and went on offense.
With three defenders closing in on him, Wang Yi passed to Hachimura Rui.
Hachimura Rui dribbled in from the left wing, taking a step toward the basket.
Seeing that he couldn't get through,