Out of Nowhere

It was after a brief stoppage that the Pelicans launched their final attack.

This time, the play was fairly simple.

Holiday and Butler ran a pick-and-roll, after which Butler began a face-up isolation with the ball at the 45-degree angle, calling for Westbrook to guard him.

It seemed they still wanted to try exploiting the mismatch by using a big man against a smaller defender.

He used his body to force his way inside for two steps, then spun quickly. Without any fancy moves, he went straight into a turnaround jumper.

A textbook superstar play.

A quick attempt at two points, leaving more time on the clock. That way, even if the Thunder chose to run down the clock, they could still foul and give themselves one last chance to attack.

Unfortunately, JB, who had been magical all night, couldn't keep his hot hand in the final moments.

Or perhaps he'd underestimated Westbrook a little.

The Oklahoma Thunder's starting lineup might not have been the best in the league, but it was absolutely the most unfazed by isolation mismatches.

Their size was outstanding. And at the two key positions, Westbrook and Davis were also incredibly versatile when switching on defense.

On this play, Westbrook relied on his elite physical gifts to hold Butler's drive at bay. He nearly forced him to a stop, leaving Butler with no choice but to go for a fading turnaround jumper—which led to the miss.

After all, Turtle Turtle's otherworldly strength was practically a cheat code among guards. After bulking up, he'd even been able to hold off a player as massive as Zion on a drive to the rim for a possession or two.

The ball bounced off the rim and Davis secured it, then sent it straight to Chen Xi.

This time, the