On the court, the Thunder quickly took control of the ball.
The basketball Chen Xi had swatted away landed in Batum's hands nearby.
Pajamis clutched it tightly, then waited until the opposing team started retreating before turning and passing it to Westbrook.
Westbrook brought the ball over half court, glancing at his coach along the way. When he saw no sign that the coach wanted to call a timeout, he lowered his head and pushed past Harden, dribbling quickly across half court. He charged all the way to the top of the key, then dribbled backward and turned to pass the ball back to Batum.
Batum moved to the right wing and caught the ball, then turned and swung it to Chen Xi.
Chen Xi first pushed forward, moving to the left corner, then cut along the baseline. Using Davis's screen, he briefly shook off George and made his way to the right corner to receive Batum's pass.
After catching the ball, he looked up at the clock.
Twenty-six seconds left.
Then he lowered his eyes and looked at George in front of him.
Right after that, Chen Xi suddenly pounded the ball and feigned a drive, forcing George to shift his body. He immediately changed direction and moved toward the top of the key, returning to the wing.
At the same time, the Nets' double-team came again.
Seeing Chen Xi searching for more space to attack, Durant on the other side simply abandoned Green and moved over in long strides, ready to double-team Chen Xi and force him to pass.
Just then, Chen Xi made his move.
He suddenly crossed over, lowered his center of gravity, and launched straight toward the corner, driving past George.
After pounding the ball and taking two steps, he abruptly stopped and pulled back.