Thunder's Secret Weapon

There was no timeout. The Lakers turned around and launched their next possession.

Schroder brought the ball into the frontcourt, then passed to James.

James held the ball at the top of the key, called for another pick-and-roll, and hunted a mismatch.

Once again, he targeted Alexander and drove.

This time, James used his strength to bump SGA aside, then accelerated into the paint. He attacked the rim before Little Jordan could recover and finished with a layup.

It was a basket created by sheer individual ability, and it barely steadied the Lakers.

But just when they thought they had found their footing, Chen Xi answered at the other end.

He drove straight from the top of the key, pounding the ball and bursting past James into the three-point line. Then he pulled up against Howard's help defense and hit a mid-range jumper, squeezing off the shot in the tiniest of spaces with defenders closing from both sides.

In the blink of an eye, he had wiped out James's effort.

After that, there was no holding Chen back.

Even when the Lakers sent Caruso and James to trap Chen Xi on the perimeter, it did no good.

I'm not passing! I'm going right through you. Trap me, and I'll drive inside. Give me even the smallest opening, and I'll get my shot off!

With that mindset, Chen Xi put on a staggering display in the third quarter, dominating both ends of the floor.

He shot 8-for-15 in the quarter, including 3-for-5 from three and 4-for-4 from the line, piling up 23 points and four rebounds. He led the Thunder to a 37–22 quarter and turned the score around.

By the start of the fourth quarter, the Thunder led 89–85, a four-point advantage!

It should have been a comfortable position.

But