After calling a timeout, Donovan adjusted the rotation, replacing Westbrook, Davis, and Little Jordan with Bane, Gafford, and Batum.
With those changes, the Thunder Team now had a small lineup on the floor.
Although their smaller size would somewhat reduce the team's rim protection and ability to fight for rebounds,
the advantage was that, aside from Gafford, the other players in this lineup all had at least a decent level of shooting ability, making them difficult to leave open.
This lineup also did a better job of freeing up Chen Xi's individual offense.
As for Alexander, Donovan had kept him on the bench until the second quarter, when Chen Xi would be resting.
Donovan had clearly noticed that Alexander and Chen Xi had overlapping roles.
So, to maximize their effectiveness, he decided to have Alexander play more during the stretches when Chen Xi was resting.
On the other side, the Mavericks had also made some personnel adjustments.
They brought in Jalen Johnson, Jalen Brunson, and Dwight Powell, taking out Tim Hardaway Jr., Kleber, and Kleber.
Their two-man core remained on the floor.
That was Kidd's way of showing respect for Chen Xi.
Without the core duo of this 15 Pick and Roll on the floor, if Chen Xi caught fire, they could quickly find themselves down by a huge margin.
That was something the Mavericks absolutely couldn't afford right now.
So, when the timeout ended, both teams took the court with their new lineups and resumed the battle.
Back on the court, the Thunder Team were first to go on offense.
Chen Xi received the ball in the backcourt, brought it over the midcourt line himself, and reached the top of the key, where he faced Jalen Johnson's defense.
The young forward had a slightly boyish face.
As a