At the start of the second quarter, both sides had their starters leading the bench units.
For the Pelicans, Walker and Davis led the lineup, joined by Brogdon, Siakam, and Harrell.
For the Mavericks, Holiday and Jokic led the lineup, joined by Barea, Dwight Powell, and Nowitzki.
Right after the second quarter began, Walker scored over Nowitzki with a spinning floater.
He had truly put Parker's skills to good use.
But on the other end, Nowitzki took Barea's drive-and-kick pass and hit a Mid Range catch-and-shoot jumper.
Davis posted up Nowitzki in the low post and drew a double-team from Powell. He quickly moved the ball, and Siakam caught it for a one-handed slam that lifted the team's spirits.
But on the next possession, Holiday took Jokic's pass and scored a 2+1 over Brogdon.
The situation on the court was tense—extremely tense.
The Mavericks had truly been underestimated.
Morey had previously told the media that the Rockets had found the lineup best suited to them this season.
But now, it seemed that the Mavericks were the team most deserving of those words.
The changes Holiday and Jokic had brought on both offense and defense were obvious to the naked eye.
And having gone through consecutive championships, their psychological quality was even stronger than teams from the same period in history.
This win-win trade had truly given the Pelicans a worthy opponent.
The on-site fans were thrilled, and Xiao Hua felt a surge of joy as well.
Over the past month or so, he had felt like a drowning man.
Under the constant pressure from team owners, he had felt like he could barely breathe.
Now, the Mavericks' performance was like a lifeline, finally giving him something to grab onto and allowing him to surface for air.
Stevens paced along the