Pope curled around to receive the pass, then used a screen to move left. He gathered the ball, rose, and took a three-point shot.
Dang!!
The ball bounced off the rim.
He couldn't hit another one.
Under the basket, Chen Xi retreated, stretched out his long arm, and secured the defensive rebound. Then he turned and pushed up the court.
Seeing Westbrook sprinting ahead, he didn't hesitate to launch a long pass.
Farther up the court, Westbrook caught the ball and took off for the basket. An overanxious Pope grabbed him and pulled him down.
The referee's whistle sounded right on cue.
Westbrook stepped to the free-throw line and made one of his two shots.
11–5.
Then they moved on to the next possession.
For the Nuggets, Jokic posted up in the low post, drawing the defense before passing to the corner.
Aaron Gordon took a three-point shot, but missed too.
Their repeated misses from beyond the arc had left Denver in a terrible predicament.
The Thunder, on the other hand, were in a completely different situation.
When Westbrook brought the ball across half court again, Chen Xi proactively moved to the elbow and called for the ball.
He caught it, turned, and faced up against Gordon.
He dribbled between his legs, took a small step back, and adjusted his rhythm. Then he stepped left, dribbled between his legs with his left hand, and immediately chained a drop step into a front crossover. He exploded forward, blew past Gordon in one step, and drove to the basket. With Jokic waiting, he leapt again, switched hands in midair, and stretched out for a reverse layup.
With a graceful flourish, he tossed the ball up from the other side of the rim.
The ball banked off the backboard and bounced into the