Barnes caught the pass and tried to finish with a floater near the rim, but the ball bounced out.
Fortunately, Little Wagner secured the rebound, then drew a shooting foul on Ethan on the putback attempt.
Wagner stepped to the free-throw line and sank both shots, barely steadying the situation.
They had not scored quite the way they had planned.
But at least they had scored. For the moment, they had matched the intensity Chen was bringing.
It was the Knicks' turn on offense again.
Chen Xi received the inbound pass in the backcourt, crossed half court, and stopped a step beyond the logo, waiting for Horford to come up before initiating a high pick-and-roll.
He used the screen to shake Big Joe, charged toward the three-point line, then went straight into attacking the mismatch when Little Sabonis switched onto him.
A simple in-and-out fake flowed into a crossover, followed by a crossover step to launch his drive.
That simple combination took him straight past Sabonis and into the paint.
Once inside, he accelerated again, crossed the free-throw line, then pounded the ball down and took one step before leaping. Gliding through the air with the ball in both hands, he met Little Wagner's block attempt with a double-clutch, narrowly evaded both his arms, and slammed the ball through from the side just before colliding with the backboard.
The force of his momentum left his hands aching a little as he hung from the rim to absorb the impact.
But in a roundabout way, Chen Xi had still posterized Little Wagner.
Visually, it was absolutely explosive.
So for Chen, who had always loved showing off, that little bit of pain probably meant nothing~~
He landed while making a half-turn, then took two backward steps with his remaining momentum.
Chen Xi