Meanwhile, over in Oklahoma, the Thunder players also headed back to the locker room one by one after the first half ended.
Amid the fans' thunderous cheers and applause, Chen Xi was the last to enter the players' tunnel. He high-fived the staff lining the corridor, then followed it into the home team's locker room.
But as soon as they returned to the locker room, still riding the momentum of their lead, the players had to face another very real problem.
Westbrook's test results were in.
A hairline fracture in the middle finger of his right hand.
A normal recovery period for that kind of injury was four to eight weeks, meaning Westbrook would need at least a month of rest.
And at a time like this, how could the Thunder afford to wait a month?
They didn't even have an hour!
The second half was about to begin.
If they lost this game, the next one would be even more dangerous!!
The Thunder were up by just four points, and they had that lead only because Chen Xi had gone on a tear and scored relentlessly.
No one could guarantee that Chen Xi would maintain that form in the second half.
After all, he was a player, not a superhero.
Although Westbrook's tactical importance to the team had declined sharply over the past two years, there was no denying that his ability to attack the basket, push the pace in transition, defend at the point of attack, switch on defense, and draw attention on offense were all crucial to the Thunder.
Without a top-tier point guard like him, the team was bound to take a step back.
And over on the Nets' side, Harden and KD hadn't even gotten going yet!
Once the second half began—especially during the few