Westbrook initiated the offense from the perimeter, used a screen to drive inside, drew the defense, then passed inside to Davis.
Davis caught the ball near the rim and powered up.
Gordon's contest sent the ball bouncing off the rim.
Fortunately, AD was quick off the ground and had a long wingspan.
As soon as he released the shot and realized it was in trouble, he leaped up again and snatched the offensive rebound.
But by then, Jokic had already made it back on defense.
With no other option, Davis passed the ball back outside, to Batum.
A quality player with good basketball IQ and a bit of a playmaking touch,
Batum knew exactly what he needed to do at this crucial moment.
Without any thought of forcing things, Pajamis immediately turned to find Chen Xi, then dribbled the ball upcourt.
Once he reached the left sideline, he passed it over steadily.
Chen Xi had run from the right sideline to the Top of the Key. He stepped forward to receive the ball, turned to face the basket, and restarted the offense.
The back-and-forth had already burned fourteen seconds off the shot clock.
So Chen Xi didn't stop to survey the floor—or show off—as he usually did. He immediately launched his attack.
He dribbled between his legs, used a Drag Step to the left, then a Front Crossover and a Crossover Step to get moving.
After two strides, he abruptly stopped and pulled the ball back, connecting it to a Step-back beyond the three-point line. He faked a shot with Bait Buddha, then took off again and accelerated into the paint.
It was a sequence he had used thousands of times in the League.
The whole move flowed seamlessly, so smooth that it was beautiful to watch.
Most importantly, it