An Inauspicious Start

Back to the game.

AD hadn't been able to return, so the Thunder still had to face the Pelicans with their original lineup.

At the opening tip, Uncle won the jump again.

The Thunder started their offense.

After Westbrook brought the ball over half court, he called for a pick-and-roll with Little Jordan at the top of the key. He turned the corner and drove inside the three-point line, then immediately rose for a mid-range jumper.

Unfortunately, not only did the shot miss, its trajectory was visibly off even while it was still in the air.

It clanged off the rim and bounced away.

The Pelicans secured the defensive rebound and brought the ball up at an unhurried pace before starting their offense.

As the team with the advantage, the Pelicans had no reason to rush. They just needed to stay steady and patiently grind out their half-court offense against the Thunder.

They ran a classic Diamond action.

Redick started under the basket, the two big men took positions on either side of the free-throw line, and Holiday stood above the line, inside the three-point arc.

Butler held the ball on the perimeter to initiate the play.

Under the basket, Redick quickly used a fake to draw Bane's attention, then cut back the other way. Using Little Sabonis's screen, he curled around to the left wing, caught Butler's pass, and immediately launched a three.

It was the simplest option in the Diamond action.

As it happened, the play targeted the weak link in the Thunder's perimeter defense.

Bane couldn't get around the screen in time, while Chen Xi, the core of the help defense, was still up top guarding Butler.

That left Redick with an easy three-point opportunity.

He let it fly, and the three dropped cleanly.

The possession changed