After the timeout, James drove hard to the basket and drew another foul, earning two free throw opportunities.
He was extremely focused at the line. He could sense that the Pelicans were different tonight.
But he still made only one of the two free throws.
Gasol secured the Defensive Rebound. The Pelicans brought the ball into the frontcourt, and Tang Tian suddenly fired an outside three-pointer.
Swish!
The ball went cleanly through the net.
Tang Tian's three-pointer was good too!
15-4!
The gap had reached double digits!
The on-site fans were in an uproar.
In this Mount Tenryu showdown, based on the two teams' previous meetings, it was expected to be a fierce battle.
And in a close battle, the Lakers would have a greater chance of winning thanks to their Home Court Advantage.
But now, things were completely different from what they had expected!
The game had become one-sided!
With more than nine minutes gone in the quarter, the Pelicans had already built a 29-14 lead over the Lakers, a full 15 points ahead.
The arena was much quieter than it had been at the opening tip, and despair showed in the fans' eyes.
Hope still remained in Vogel's eyes.
Not only because he was the Head Coach, but also because he felt the game was not over yet.
Especially at this point, with both sides gradually moving into their Rotation Lineups.
Over the previous three games, the Lakers had held the upper hand during the Bench Connection Segment, Extending the lead when ahead and closing the gap when behind.
Compared with the Pelicans' bench group, the Lakers' reserves had clearly performed better in this series.
Siakam remained on the floor for the Pelicans, while Alexander, Kuzma, and Harrell checked in one after another.
Including Green, who had been