Davis caught the ball and turned, drawing a defensive double-team as he approached the paint before passing to Alexander in the weak-side corner.
Alexander, whom the defense had deliberately left open, caught the pass and immediately launched a three before Chen Xi could rotate over.
The shot swished through the net!
After several seasons of development, SGA had finally begun to add a three-point shot to his game.
He was still nowhere near being considered a quality shooter, but he could at least punish defensive strategies that deliberately left him open.
The youngster was improving all the time, after all. If the Knicks kept choosing to give him that much space, they would likely pay a considerable price.
On to the next possession.
Knicks ball.
Rose brought the ball across half court and faced Westbrook at the top of the key. He tried a front crossover into a crossover step drive, accelerated toward the sideline, then passed to George, who had come over to receive it.
George caught the pass and moved in the opposite direction toward the top of the key, then swung it to Chen Xi.
Chen Xi caught the ball, turned into a triple threat stance, then rose straight up for a three, pulling up right over Cunningham's defense.
The ball rolled smoothly off his fingertips and dropped straight toward the net.
Nothing but net!
82–81!
The Knicks had taken a one-point lead!
The sudden three caught Cunningham off guard—and the Thunder team along with him.
That was Chen Xi. Give him even the slightest opening anywhere on defense, and he would immediately unleash a devastating offensive strike.
In an instant, he had seized the momentum back. Now it was the Thunder team's turn to try to catch up...
Back at the other end, Oklahoma went on