George secured the rebound, turned, and passed it to Chen Xi.
Chen Xi took the ball upcourt, reached the halfway line, then fired a long pass to Strus, who had already settled into the corner.
Strus caught it and immediately launched a Three-Point Shot.
Clang!!
The sharp sound of the ball striking iron rang out.
The Knicks had missed a partially open corner three, too.
Gobert stretched out his long arms, secured the rebound, and passed it back to Doncic.
Doncic turned and advanced into the frontcourt.
Facing Chen Xi's defense, he immediately turned to look for a screen.
He used Little Jones's Pick-and-Roll to drive inside.
Then, from mid-range, he once again swung a long pass across the court.
The ball reached Kleber in the weak-side corner.
Finney Smith caught it and launched a Three-Point Shot.
Clang!!
The crisp clang of iron kept ringing out. The Mavericks' attempt to strike back had also come up empty.
Both teams' players seemed to have suffered noticeable fluctuations in form since the second half began.
As a result, both sides' offensive efficiency had dropped sharply for the moment.
At a time like this, perhaps their respective star players needed to step up and show the individual ability that had earned them that status.
After all, aside from Little Jones's somewhat lucky three, George was the only player who had scored through sheer ability in the second half so far.
Possession changed hands again. The Knicks were on offense.
Rose dribbled across half court and handed the ball straight to Chen Xi at the top of the key.
Chen Xi caught it, faced Little Jones as his primary defender, and set up for an isolation.
He performed a stationary Between-the-Legs Crossover, took a small step left, then pulled the ball back into his