Doncic opened the game with a very difficult long two-pointer, getting things started.
Then it was the Thunder's turn to attack.
Jerebko inbounded the ball from out of bounds along the baseline.
Chen Xi caught the ball, dribbled twice, then passed it to Westbrook before quickly pushing up the court himself. Once he reached the frontcourt, he settled into the left corner.
On the other side, Westbrook dribbled to the top of the key.
He signaled a play with his left hand, then quickly passed to Green, who had moved up to receive the ball, before running toward the wing.
After catching the ball, Green acted as a hub and passed it along to Davis, who had also moved up.
Davis caught the ball and dribbled once to the top of the arc, to the left at a forty-five-degree angle. Standing sideways, he used a handoff to pass to Chen Xi, who had moved up from the corner.
Chen Xi caught the ball on the move, took one dribble to accelerate into the lane, and used AD's screen to shake off Kleber's chase. He reached the mid-range area and pulled up for a jumper, sinking it cleanly despite Gobert's late contest.
A classic off-ball play.
They disrupted the defense with a series of passes and cuts, then used a handoff screen between the shooter and the big man to create space for the shot and finish the play.
Simple and efficient.
2–2.
Chen Xi and Doncic had each scored two points in the opening minutes, giving their teams a strong start.
Then possession changed hands, and the ball went back to the Mavericks.
Doncic continued dribbling up the court at his usual leisurely pace, then initiated another pick-and-roll at the top of the key.
Using the screen, he dribbled left