He strolled to the top of the key in the frontcourt, signaled for Claxton to come up for an on-ball screen, then moved toward the left wing, looking to force Hartenstein onto him.
Harden's intentions were obvious.
And on the opening possession, the Knicks gave him exactly what he wanted.
Hartenstein stepped up to hedge hard, coming out to defend him.
Harden immediately squared up and began his classic mismatch isolation, a small guard taking on a big man.
He dribbled between his legs beneath his left thigh repeatedly, searching for his rhythm.
After getting Hartenstein's feet moving, he gathered the ball with a rhythmic step-back and flowed straight into a three-point attempt.
The ball sailed over Hartenstein's head and dropped toward the basket.
Clang!!
He missed!
On the opening possession, James Harden apparently hadn't found his shooting touch yet.
But there was an offensive rebound!
With Hartenstein drawn out to the perimeter, the Knicks inevitably found themselves at a height disadvantage inside.
Although Toppin had boxed Siakam out, Siakam still used his slightly superior height, reach, and strength to tip the ball out.
The tipped ball then fell into Durant's hands.
Kevin Durant wasted no motion after catching it. He rose straight up for a mid-range pull-up, forcing the shot over George's contest.
Swish~~
The ball swished through the net.
As an all-time great scorer, KD's efficiency when he was fresh was unquestionably among the very best in the league. It was no exaggeration to say he was second only to Chen.
He buried his first shot of the night, making it 2–0.
Possession changed hands, and the Knicks struck back.
Rose hurried across half court with the ball and passed straight to Chen Xi at the top of the key.
As Chen Xi caught it, he stepped toward