Connaughton caught the ball, jumped, and went up for a layup.
Smack!!
A moment later, a hand slammed the ball hard against the backboard!
It was Toppin coming over on help defense!
Still fired up, he had recovered in time to deliver a beautiful piece of rim protection!
The ball was pinned against the glass, hung there briefly, then dropped into the hands of Hartenstein as he turned around. He promptly sent it back to George.
George pushed the ball in transition again, passing ahead to Chen Xi on the move.
This time, Chen Xi did not immediately accelerate into a fast break. Noticing that three Bucks had gotten back, he deliberately slowed down, looking to settle into a half-court possession.
But Buden, standing courtside, quickly signaled Nwora again. Nwora immediately stepped forward and wrapped Chen Xi up, using a foul to give his team a chance to make substitutions.
Giannis, Middleton, Brook Lopez, and the other starters returned to the floor one after another. Of the players who had handled the transition period, only Clarkson stayed on to provide extra firepower.
Only now, it was the Bucks' turn to chase the lead.
After a whistle, play resumed.
The Knicks had a sideline inbound, and Toppin passed it to Chen Xi.
Chen Xi turned to find Rose, who had come in for Paul.
Rose caught the ball and moved toward the left sideline, then lobbed it inside to George in the low post.
Paul George immediately turned to face the basket upon receiving the ball, surveyed the defense, and quickly passed to Toppin on the weak side.
Facing up against Giannis was hardly a sensible choice. Moving the ball along promptly was the right approach.
George was not a reckless brute like Chen, willing to take on anyone...
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