There was an uproar outside the stadium.
None of the fans expected that James Harden would be fouled by Kevin Martin again. There was jubilation on the Timberwolves bench. Obviously, the Timberwolves were very happy to see this situation.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Martin went to the free throw line and made two consecutive free throws.
There were only 2.1 seconds left in the first quarter. As soon as the ball was given, Patrick Beverley of the Rockets quickly threw it hard. The basketball flew over half of the court and hit the basket at half court, but it failed. Smoothly fell into the basket.
call out.
The first quarter ended for both sides.
The score was 36-30.
In a rare move, the Houston Rockets held the lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Rockets are naturally very happy about this situation. During the break, the Rockets' team bench changed from the previous low mood to extremely excited.
The Timberwolves still haven't changed much. The team is playing steadily without any major changes, which has made the players full of confidence.
Soon, the second quarter arrived.
Since James Harden has already received three fouls, this time, the Rockets specifically let him rest.
The Timberwolves were not much better. Zhao Feiyang got two fouls at the beginning and it was undoubtedly very troublesome. Therefore, coach Norman Thomas did not rush to let Zhao Feiyang play, but let him continue to sit like Harden. Rest off the field.
During this quarter, the situation between the Timberwolves and the Rockets was still tense. The main players of both sides were showing off their talents, constantly trying to score points from the outside or inside, and constantly trying to widen the score gap.
The Timberwolves had a stronger lineup, but they did not have the home court advantage of their opponent. With most of the Rockets players having a good hot touch, by the end of the first half, the Timberwolves were unable to widen the score gap.
The second half for both sides came quickly.
This time, both Zhao Feiyang and Harden continue to appear.
The fierce confrontation between the two teams began again.
Harden indeed performed his best performance since the series, constantly making successful shots in the two and three zones. His scoring has become the Rockets' biggest reliance.
Zhao Feiyang was different from him. After realizing that his hand was not as good as before, Zhao Feiyang decisively chose to play the No. 1 position.
He takes turns cooperating with LaVine and Martin, using himself to attract opponents to double-team, so that the opponent has to focus more on him in defense, but once the opponent double-teams, he will transfer the ball away.
LaVine and Martin scored one after another with this cooperation.
The score difference between the two sides has always been tight, and it has never been more than double digits.
In this way, the two sides continued to fight until there was 1 minute and 19 seconds left in the last quarter. At this time, the score between the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves was 103 to 100, with the Rockets leading by 3 points.
The ball is in the Timberwolves' hands.
Zhao Feiyang passed half court with the ball, and Harden came up to guard him personally. The two started to see each other at the top of the arc. Zhao Feiyang organized his teammates to run while observing the situation on the court.
After noticing that the other players were not in a good position, Zhao Feiyang suddenly raised the basketball in front of Harden and forcefully pulled out his hand.
boom.
Because of Harden's interference, this time Zhao Feiyang's three-pointer hit the basket.
Fortunately, Adrian picked off the rebound under the basket. After getting the ball, Adrian did not hit it himself but passed the ball again.
Zhao Feiyang received the basketball and watched Harden rushing towards him. He changed continuously and directly threw Harden away and rushed to the basket.
When approaching the basket, he deliberately used a fake move to deceive the opposing players, making them think he was going to pass the ball to Dwight Howard. In fact, he faked a move and then threw the ball with a lever.
Harden followed up from behind and planned to make a big shot, but his hand still barely touched Zhao Feiyang's layup.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
102 to 103.
The score gap became smaller and the pressure on the Rockets increased.
After the ball passed half court, Harden hit a single at the top of the key. He deliberately attracted Zhao Feiyang to defend, but when Zhao Feiyang pounced on him, Beverley immediately helped Harden cover, and Harden took the opportunity to break into the two zones.
Once he entered the two zones, he didn't hesitate anymore and took advantage of the opportunity to make the first move before the defensive players came up.
Uh-huh.
A two-point shot landed firmly in the basket.
105 to 102.
The score difference has widened again!
Seeing that the game time is getting shorter and shorter, and Harden's key performance is becoming more and more stable, the Rockets fans on the sidelines can't help but get excited.
"Well done! That's it, James, you can definitely lead us to win this game..."
"James, I believe you. We will definitely get back the score this time, and it will be 1-2! If we play a few more games, maybe we can win the match point and kill them..."
"Sure enough, James still has to return to the home court for it to work! However, I hope that Kardashian woman will never come to the scene to watch the game. Her presence will only distract James..."
"When there was Kohler, James was like a deflated classic car. His engine oil was all burned up by the woman Kohler... Without the woman Kohler, James was like a Lamborghini. All he needed was a kick. Floor oil, no one can be his opponent..."
The court time is getting less and less.
The Timberwolves did not dare to delay, and Zhao Feiyang quickly enjoyed the special treatment of being double-teamed. When the Timberwolves served again, he was double-teamed by Harden and Beverley before he could catch the ball.
Faced with this situation, Zhao Feiyang made a prompt decision and quickly asked his teammates to pass the ball to LaVine on the side.
LaVine got the ball and ran across the half court, but just as he passed, he was also covered by other players.
The basketball moved one after another, and what was unexpected was that it finally fell into the hands of Howard, who was standing outside the three-point line.
After getting the ball, Howard was stunned for a moment, then observed the situation on the court and suddenly realized that he was the only one with a chance to take action.
But inside, Clint and Adrian were blocking positions, and there were other Rockets players blocking him. If he forced his way in, he would most likely be attacked by Rockets players in his current state.
With this in mind, Howard made an extremely bold move.
He raised his head and glanced at the timer, and found that with 44 seconds left on the clock, Howard chose to stand on the three-point line at a 45-degree angle to the left of the basket and raised the basketball to take a shot.
The moment he held the basketball high, all the fans at the scene screamed.
Fans know all too well about this man who has played in Houston for several seasons!
He has no three-point shooting ability at all.
Not to mention this kind of critical moment, even under ordinary circumstances, it is not easy for Howard to throw a three-pointer!
This is simply gambling! Even more profitable than gambling!
"No!"
Timberwolves head coach Norman Thomas on the sidelines had already shouted.
But it was too late to stop him. Howard had already raised the basketball and jumped up to take action.
