The Knicks turned around and counterattacked.
They strolled into the frontcourt.
Chen Xi dribbled with a seemingly casual air, waiting for his teammates to get into position.
In reality, he launched his attack the instant Jokic stepped inside the three-point line, before he could even come to a stop.
A violent push dribble change of direction sent him driving straight through Braun and inside the arc.
Nearby, Jokic instinctively moved over to help.
But he clearly wasn't as fast as Chen Xi.
With a deliberate lateral step, Chen Xi claimed the position first.
He used his body to block Jokic's path, then gathered and jumped, brushing against Jokic's belly as he rose before carefully controlling his wrist and softly releasing the ball.
The ball slipped smoothly through the net again.
At the same time, the referee on the baseline blew his whistle once more.
"And one!!"
"Again?!!"
Another three-point play!
And once again, the foul was on Jokic!
On the sideline, Malone helplessly covered his eyes.
Chen Xi's sudden explosion had completely disrupted the Nuggets' rhythm.
Two consecutive three-point plays, both at Jokic's expense.
This wasn't merely a matter of scoring six straight points.
It also forced Jokic, now saddled with four fouls, to leave the floor early.
For the Denver Nuggets, losing Jokic was bound to have serious consequences.
Those two three-point plays might well have settled the outcome for good...
He had to pick his poison.
Malone chose to trust his players and took Jokic out.
All he could do now was hope the Nuggets wouldn't let the Knicks build too large a lead over the remainder of the third quarter.
He had to hope Murray, Porter, and Gordon could shoulder the burden.
Of course, Chen Xi couldn't have cared less about what Malone was thinking.
He simply