After the Sichuan Opera Face-Changing performance ended, both teams returned to the court.
The third quarter officially began.
Both teams stuck with the starting lineups from the opening tip.
The first half of the third quarter continued in much the same way as the first half of the game.
Wang Yi opened with two straight three-pointers, then Zhang Yu sank one, followed by Tagore.
The Raptors were best known for their fast-break defense, but their three-point shooting was no slouch either. You think the Tsunami Brothers were just for show?
And while the Raptors were sinking all those threes, the Lakers' offense was holding up just fine.
Once the Lakers' Triangle Offense opened up more Offensive Routines, the Raptors' five-man defensive lineup really couldn't stop them.
That showed just how brilliant Phil Jackson was. The Raptors' five-man defensive lineup was the strongest defense in the league, yet it still couldn't stop the Lakers' Triangle Offense.
And because the Lakers' offense was so potent, the Raptors' excellent three-point shooting didn't quickly widen the gap. Instead, the lead grew slowly.
By the midway point of the third quarter, the lead had reached 12 points.
Then, during a timeout, Phil Jackson gave the order, and Doncic began to take over the game.
That was how the Lakers played these days.
They ran the Triangle Offense for the first two and a half quarters.
If it didn't finish off their opponents, they let Dongzi take over the offense in the second half of the third quarter.
Then King Arthur took over in the fourth.
Of course, since Wang Yi had been guarding Doncic, he first needed someone to screen Wang Yi away before he could take over the game.
So the Lakers had their center, Mien Bush, set a screen to get Wang Yi