You've Ever Heard of a Three-Point Layup?
With half the first quarter gone, the Kings were already down by nine, so De'Anthony quickly called a timeout.
He took Beverley and Barnes out, bringing in Hield and Danny.
The Kings' problem was offense, not defense, so De'Anthony had brought in two more scoring threats.
The Kings' offense showed some signs of life in the second half of the first quarter.
But with two defensive players off the floor, their defense lost some of its intensity.
Meanwhile, Thick Eyebrows suddenly caught fire for the Lakers, hitting four mid-range shots in a row.
And with James adding two deep threes, the Kings were down by 12 at the end of the first quarter.
Watching from the sidelines, Director Zhang said with a helpless look, "The Kings' threes are uncharacteristically off tonight. Even Wang Yi, who's usually so reliable from beyond the arc, keeps missing. He's just one for seven from three in the first quarter. Danny, coming off their bench, is only one for four."
"Actually, if you look at it, they're running their plays and making the right decisions. But if the shots don't go in, there's nothing you can do."
"When you can't hit your shots, the other team dares to pack the paint, and then Wang Yi can't drive in. If he can't drive, he has to shoot from outside, but their threes aren't falling tonight either, so all they can do is drive. It's a vicious cycle."
"So if the Kings want to turn this game around, it all depends on when their threes start falling."
Yang Yi nodded. "Fortunately, Wang Yi hit seven mid-range shots in the first quarter. Otherwise, the gap would've been even bigger."
Director Zhang said, "Look at the Lakers' threes tonight. They shot 75%