At the end of the first quarter, the score was 30–24, with the Warriors in the lead.
Durant had exploded for 14 points in the quarter, matching Tang Tian's 14-point quarter.
With Ariza out, aside from Tang Tian, the Pelicans only had Bojan and Stephenson available on the wing.
But it was clear during the game that one was too slow and the other was not tall enough. Neither could match up with Durant at all.
Fortunately, the new addition Williams performed well, leading the team on an 8–2 run during the Bench Connection Segment and quickly tying the score.
Although he had spent the night with his two women, it seemingly had not affected his performance at all. He was still able to step right in and contribute.
Seeing that the situation was going wrong, Cole sent Durant back onto the court early.
After Durant checked in, he exploited the mismatch against Williams, then Drove forcefully at Stephenson for a 2+1. The momentum shifted again in an instant.
Stevens reacted quickly. As the situation on the court changed, he stood up, walked to the end of the bench, and called Siakam and Tang Tian over.
With Ariza out, Stevens had already been prepared and had placed Siakam on the Active Roster.
Now that neither Bojan nor Stephenson was working, he could only boldly turn to Siakam, just as he had once done with Brogdon.
Siakam did not disappoint him. On his first defensive possession after checking in, he used his wingspan to disrupt Durant's shot and got a stop.
Barkley could not help exclaiming from the sidelines, even repeating a line fans often used on social media.
The Pelicans' rookie was all about the show, not the rookie part!
But unfortunately, Barkley got slapped in the face again this