14–10!
Vogel raised his hand and called a timeout.
Carter had hit two three-pointers in a row, forcing the Lakers to call a timeout!
"Vince! Vince!"
As he headed to the bench during the timeout, the on-site fans shouted Carter's name with barely contained excitement.
That name represented the youth of so many people in the arena!
As Stevens walked off the court, he also gave Carter a firm pat on the shoulder.
One three-pointer could feel like luck to the opponent, but after two straight makes, unless Vogel was bold enough, he definitely would not dare leave the Pelicans' perimeter shooters open again.
As long as the Lakers did not dare leave them open, the Double Team pressure on Tang Tian would lessen, which was absolutely good news for the Pelicans.
After the timeout, Durant came off a cut, caught the ball, and made a shot to steady the Lakers.
The Pelicans came back on offense.
Sure enough, Carter standing in the corner pulled Durant away.
Tang Tian changed direction through a Double Team, drove straight into the paint, made the shot, and drew a defensive foul from Lopez.
Just as Stevens had expected, the Lakers no longer dared to easily send a Three-person double team. Tang "a Double Team is basically open space" Tian found scoring noticeably easier.
Tang Tian calmly made the extra free throw, giving the Pelicans a 17–12 lead, a five-point lead.
Those few possessions became a microcosm of the quarter.
Although Carter did not attempt another shot afterward, the Lakers simply did not dare collapse inward so freely anymore, while Tang Tian handled Double Teams with ease.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 35–24, with the Pelicans taking an eleven-point lead in the quarter.
With Davis out, the Pelicans putting