The game was about to begin, and the broadcast promptly cut to James and Tang Tian.
Just then, Durant unexpectedly stepped into the shot.
He stood diagonally behind James, his expression unusually serious.
The discussions among fans after the All-Star Game had disgusted him.
For once, he had not fired back, and he had been holding it in for this game.
What he wanted to do was prove that he had not defected. Just like when he had first arrived in Los Angeles, all he wanted was to defeat Tang Tian.
Amid fans' cheers, Gasol tipped the ball back into the Pelicans' half, officially opening the game.
The two teams had faced each other twice before and were fairly familiar with each other's tactics and chemistry.
After the opening tip, the game quickly fell into a deadlock.
Tang Tian's touch was average tonight, so he relied more on drives and drive-and-kick plays.
Davis and Green both performed steadily, and the Pelicans had no major issues on offense.
However, Durant's desire to attack was especially strong tonight. His Drive and Shoot game was both sound and efficient.
And when facing Tang Tian's defense, he was also using his offense to keep him occupied.
After everything that had happened with the Warriors, his personality had truly changed quite a bit.
When faced with doubt, he chose to prove himself!
Neither side could stop the other. By around the nine-minute mark of the quarter, the score was tied at 25.
Both teams gradually went to their benches.
For the Pelicans, Brogdon and Gasol remained from the starting lineup, while Alexander, Jeff Green, and Siakam checked in.
For the Lakers, Wade, Pope, and McGee also entered one after another.
Pope drilled a three-pointer as soon as he came in, helping the Lakers regain the