After Zhao Feiyang's steal scored, the Minnesota Timberwolves players stood up and applauded excitedly.
As for the Houston Rockets, everyone from the head coach to the players are worried about James Harden's mistakes.
call out.
The referee whistle sounded.
Rockets head coach Bickerstaff finally chose to temporarily replace Harden.
Harden was a little surprised. After seeing that he was replaced, he could only drag his tired body down.
When he walked to head coach Bickerstaff, the opponent patted Harden on the shoulder and said, "James, you are too tired! Take a good rest! This quarter will be over soon! We still need more in the last quarter. you......"
Harden also knew that his physical strength was really declining, so he had no choice but to nod and sit on the team bench to rest.
At the same time, without Harden, the Rockets suddenly lost their offensive engine. Others were not good at handling, and there was no specific leader to direct them on the court. This put the Rockets into a situation of random fighting. .
When Harden was around, he could still pass the ball to Harden, but now that Harden is gone, everyone hopes to achieve some results.
On the other hand, for the Timberwolves, Zhao Feiyang directly controls the team's offensive ball after coming on the court. Others are also willing to cooperate with him, especially Dwight Howard inside, who constantly plays pick-and-roll tactics with Zhao Feiyang. This makes the Rockets already have loopholes. The defense got even worse.
Uh-huh.
Another three-pointer.
Zhao Feiyang's shooting made the Rockets defensive players completely unable to parry.
At this time, the third quarter finally came to an end, with only 16 seconds left before the end of the game.
It was the Rockets' turn to fight back.
After the ball passed halftime, Trevor Ariza played singles on the wing. He held the ball and broke through to the basket.
When Dwight was about to make a layup, Ariza had to transfer the ball in order not to be blocked.
Ariza didn't think too much and threw the ball to Patrick Beverley in desperation.
However, the moment it was thrown out, a figure suddenly shot out from halfway. Zhao Feiyang once again accurately predicted the opponent's pass and intercepted it.
Snapped.
Zhao Feiyang, who intercepted the pass, sprinted with the ball.
Beverly, who was blocking the road, saw this and hurriedly moved up to guard him. The two of them reached the basket one after another. Beverly saw the opportunity and jumped up with Zhao Feiyang. Unexpectedly, Zhao Feiyang jumped up in mid-air the next second. Remember to pull the lever and easily avoid him and throw the ball into the basket.
boom.
The basketball hit the rim and bounced in.
The ball went in.
Beep.
The sound of the timer stopping sounded, signaling the end of the third quarter.
Under Zhao Feiyang's strong performance, the Timberwolves, who were originally led by 16 points, closed the gap to only 6 points at the end of this quarter.
86 to 80.
Although the Rockets still maintain the lead, their advantage seems to be gone.
In particular, Harden, the core of the team, was severely depleted of physical energy, which further caused their combat effectiveness to decline excessively.
Break time.
The girls on the cheerleading team are all showing off their hotness and sexiness. Their dances are full of energy and attract cheers and applause from the fans on the sidelines from time to time.
The players on both sides of the court were seizing every moment to recover.
For the Rockets, the team even hired a masseur for Harden to massage his legs to relieve pressure and restore his body to its most stable state.
For the Timberwolves, Zhao Feiyang is in pretty good shape and still has plenty of energy, while Howard and other teammates are constantly replenishing drinks, and some even bring some snacks that can temporarily replenish physical energy.
Beep.
When the courtside timer sounded again, the cheerleading girls retreated to both sides of the court, and the last quarter of the game officially began.
"James, I think you can rest a little longer...It's okay, just rest for a few more minutes and come back when we are tied!"
Head coach Bickerstaff saw Harden still showing fatigue, so he spoke to him.
Harden hesitated for a moment and thought that Bickerstaff's words made sense. However, when seeing other Rockets players looking expectantly at him, Harden still chose to refuse.
"No! Coach, I have to fight with everyone... This is a game about all of us, and I have to fight with them..."
"I can persist..."
Coach Bickerstaff nodded.
"Okay. If you need a rest, let me know anytime!"
Soon, players from both sides appeared again.
At the final decisive moment, both sides also replaced their main players.
It was the Rockets' turn to serve.
Beverley advanced with the ball.
As soon as he passed halftime, the Rockets players on the court started running. Harden did not run away in a hurry this time, but waited for other teammates to cover him.
When others ran past him, Harden took this opportunity to shake off Zhao Feiyang and rush to the top of the arc to catch the ball.
Snapped.
He didn't hesitate when he got the basketball and threw a three-pointer before Zhao Feiyang could pounce on him.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
The basketball fell steadily into the basket.
89 to 80.
Fans in the Toyota Center cheered.
"Oh! Well done! This is our James!"
"Come on James! I believe in you, you are the hero of this city..."
Harden stepped forward at critical moments and changed the fans' previous impression of him. Because of this, many fans chose to support him again.
The originally noisy atmosphere in the Toyota Center gradually became unified unknowingly. The shouts and cheers of the fans all turned into the cohesion of the Rockets.
On the field.
The Timberwolves fought back.
Zach LaVine advanced with the ball, and before halftime passed, he transferred the ball to Zhao Feiyang. After getting the ball, Zhao Feiyang chose to play Harden in singles.
The two faced off quite a bit in the game, but there weren't that many serious singles. Most of the time, teammates were covering pick-and-rolls.
This time, Zhao Feiyang directly gestured to other teammates.
"Everyone... pull away!"
He doesn't want to stand out in this situation, but he knows very well that the reason why the Rockets can still hold on now is mainly because they have leaders like Harden leading them and supporting them to move towards victory.
If he can defeat Harden, constantly attack Harden, and even suppress his state, then the Rockets' offense is likely to have a big problem.
One on one.
Zhao Feiyang dribbled the basketball to face Harden. Harden was completely different from before. This time he took a very serious defensive stance.
Before Zhao Feiyang could take the initiative to attack, Harden moved up to create pressure on Zhao Feiyang.
The two met each other, and Zhao Feiyang suddenly started to shake with a cross step, first dribbling to the left to make a breakthrough.
Harden moved subconsciously, and the next second Zhao Feiyang suddenly pulled the ball back, and Harden followed suit.
But before Harden could even stand firm, Zhao Feiyang suddenly rushed out to the left.
Harden's body reacted completely subconsciously, and as soon as he moved, Zhao Feiyang changed direction and pulled the ball to his right hand.
Harden was shaken away directly.
The scene was filled with exclamations of surprise.
Under the incredible gaze of the fans, Zhao Feiyang rushed into the two divisions.
He took the ball and made a pull-up motion in the penalty area, perfectly avoiding Ariza who came up from the wing to defend, and then made a layup and steadily sent the ball in.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
