G3 Begins

After putting on his uniform and protective gear, Chen Xi did a few simple stretches to check his physical condition, then returned to the court to wait for tonight's game to begin.

Before long, the time reached exactly seven o'clock.

As the first matchup of the evening, the game between the Thunder and the Lakers began right on schedule.

Howard won the opening tip once again.

Although Little Gasol had returned to the active roster, the coaching staff still did not put him straight back into the starting lineup for his first game back. If he failed to regain his form, he might not return to the starting lineup at all...

After all, having just recovered from an injury, he now had to endure the intensity of the Playoffs. For a 37-year-old interior player, that was no easy task.

In fact, if they had not truly been short-handed, the Thunder would not have waited so desperately for Little Gasol's return...

But there was nothing they could do. Restricted by the salary-cap rules, the Thunder simply had not been in a position to sign a higher-quality interior player during last year's Off-season.

The signing of Little Jordan had already been the highest-level interior addition the team could make on the market.

Unfortunately, although Uncle still had a clear edge in height, Rim Protection, athleticism, and finishing off passes, he was ultimately not as versatile as Little Gasol in terms of the variety of functions he could perform.

Back to the game.

Los Angeles began their first possession of the night.

After Schroder brought the ball across half court, he initiated a Pick-and-Roll at the Top of the Key.

Maintaining the same strategy as in the previous two games, the Lakers first targeted Griffin and attacked the paint.

After getting around the