But when they double-teamed Wang Yi, the area inside the three-point line opened up. Wang Yi took advantage and passed the ball to Dauding.
Dauding caught the ball and looked to shoot from mid-range, but the Pistons' inside powerhouse, Antoine, rushed over in time.
Dauding couldn't get the shot off.
Fortunately, Akur slipped in from the right corner along the baseline.
The opposing defense was focused on the perimeter, and the only player left near the basket, the Artificial Giant Antoine, had rushed over to guard Dauding. The entire paint and the right side of the lane were practically wide open.
So Dauding fired a bounce pass to Akur.
Akur leaped high, let out a thunderous roar, and slammed the ball through the hoop.
The dunk seemed to release two years' worth of pent-up emotions.
Wang Yi came over and slapped Akur's hand hard, then patted him on the head. "Beautifully done!"
Dauding also came over to high-five Akur.
The three of them had once been teammates on the Raptors, so naturally they were closer to Akur than the other players were.
But when the other players saw their leader celebrating with Akur, Divine Pill Danny came over to high-five him too.
Little Rivers also came over to high-five Akur.
The Pistons came back on offense. This time, the Artificial Giant Antoine got the ball beyond the three-point line.
After a couple of fakes, he rose and shot from beyond the arc.
The shot came up short, and the ball hit the rim.
Akur and Dauding had established position under the basket, so the rebound looked certain to go to the Lakers.
But before the ball was anywhere near low enough for either of them to reach it, a long arm stretched out from behind them. Antoine snatched the ball