Still, at least it hadn't had too much of an impact on their subsequent offense.
After using another screen to shake Shorter, SGA didn't hesitate. He accelerated into the paint, where he met Aldridge around the free-throw line.
He slowed down on the move and made a Hesitation Bait Buddha move, luring Aldridge into stepping up. Then he pounded the ball for a second burst of speed and drove into the paint, finishing with a same-hand, same-foot layup.
The shot came out extremely quickly, and its strange rhythm left Aldridge, who had already lost the initiative, with no time to contest it.
Naturally, the ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
The Thunder finally scored, steadying the game.
On the way back on defense, Chen Xi reached the area in front of the three-point line first. He raised a hand and exchanged a light slap with Alexander, who was running toward him.
"Don't be afraid. Go out there and do your thing. If anything goes wrong, I'll cover for you!"
Those confident words easily struck a chord with the young man.
At that moment, Alexander had to admit that Chen's presence gave him plenty of security.
The Thunder's subsequent offense was still run by Alexander.
And he did indeed deliver.
Although his outside shooting efficiency was still less than impressive, his excellent ability to drive continued to shine on the Barclays Center stage.
The pressure SGA kept putting on the Nets' interior also prevented Brooklyn from restoring the lead to double digits.
So when the First Quarter ended, the score between the two teams stood at 45–37.
Of course, no matter how you looked at it, the Thunder's defense in the First Quarter was still somewhat inadequate.
After all, thanks to a strong surge at the start of the Transition