In the third quarter, Zhang Yu and Tagore unleashed a Three-point Rain, trading baskets one after another.
In half a quarter, the two of them sank six three-pointers.
Just like that, the Raptors' lead ballooned to thirteen points.
Although the Raptors no longer had their five-man defensive lineup, Mad Tiger Tagore, Big Lock Rock, and Zhang Yu were still formidable defenders when matched up against their opponents one-on-one.
They stunned the other team in just half a quarter.
In the second half of the quarter, the opposing team widened its defensive coverage and focused on guarding Tagore and Zhang Yu, the two three-point threats. That opened up opportunities for Zhang Yu.
He drove into mid-range several times in a row, either assisting Dauding for a basket under the rim or making the mid-range shot himself.
So when the starters came off the court, the Raptors had maintained their thirteen-point lead.
Then, during the stretch with the starters resting, the other team cut the deficit to eight.
When the fourth quarter began, the Ball Family Brothers started working together.
They also targeted Zhang Jiacheng, the weak link on defense.
They kept using screens to get LaMelo Ball switched onto Zhang Jiacheng, then went after him.
LaMelo had plenty of talent, too.
Over the next few minutes, he repeatedly drove past Zhang Jiacheng or rose up for jump shots in his face.
With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, they had cut the deficit to just three points.
No one had expected that.
People had assumed that without Wang Yi, the Raptors would be leaderless and would collapse against the red-hot Hornets, falling apart completely. Yet with only five minutes left, the Raptors were still up by three.
On the sidelines, Wang Yi watched the Raptors' lead dwindle to three points,