Facing the Bucks' obvious intention to double-team him, he chose to turn and move the ball to Hart, then immediately made a reverse cut, curling into the paint.
After taking Hart's pass again, he found Giannis waiting with Rim Protection.
He smoothly went into a Jab Step with the ball, then pounded the dribble and drove left.
Reaching beneath the basket, he palmed the ball one-handed and used a Shot Fake, then spun around and added a Hook Shot fake.
The two consecutive fakes both successfully affected Giannis's defensive judgment, finally allowing Chen Xi to seize a suitable shooting opportunity.
He then twisted around again, slipped past Giannis's side from the left with an up-and-under, and leapt powerfully to finish with a reverse layup on the other side of the basket.
7-5.
On the first three offensive possessions of the game, Chen Xi had chosen to finish every one himself.
And the results were naturally encouraging.
3-for-3, with 7 straight Points.
Perhaps this signaled that the League's premier Scoring Champion was about to put on an immensely grand scoring feast tonight.
The Bucks went back on offense.
Lillard held the ball on the perimeter, waiting for Giannis to come up before passing it out.
Giannis caught the ball, then initiated a pick-and-roll. Using Middleton's screen, he exploded into a drive and charged into the paint, going straight at Grant after the switch and reaching the basket. After gathering the ball, he used a series of fakes to successfully get Grant off balance, then took advantage of the timing difference and rose for a layup.
7-7.
Relying on the stable performance of their "three cores," Milwaukee easily kept pace with Chen Xi's firepower.
The Knicks went back on offense.
Chen Xi brought the ball across half court and encountered a