Tang Tian and Whiteside slapped hands.

In fact, Whiteside's current agility comes at the expense of his strength. He still needs to gain weight, after which he will be a traditional center.

But that's enough. The Pelicans' current interior defense, with the addition of a near All-Star level center, is definitely a boost.

However, before his dream could even begin, Whiteside picked up another foul on the defensive end.

Williams substituted Ajinca for him.

It seems Whiteside still has a long way to go before he's a near All-Star.

Durant hit a three-pointer from the outside.

Back on the other end, Tang Tian hit a pull-up jumper over Adams.

The two continued their scoring duel.

After three quarters, the Pelicans and the Thunder were tied at 75.

Durant had 32 points, and Tang Tian had 30.

With one quarter left, they'd already exceeded their scoring tasks.

But obviously, Williams' strategy was working.

The Pelicans were deadlocked with the Thunder on the scoreboard.

If it went down to the wire, it would come down to who was more consistent, Tang Tian or Durant.

At the start of the fourth quarter, both teams' starters were on the bench.

Whiteside, with four fouls, sat on the sidelines. The Pelicans' center on the court was Jason Smith.

Smith came in and scored a layup off a pass from Gordon, looking like he was in good form.

But he was immediately hit with a 2+1 by Jackson on the other end.

And that wasn't all. In a short three or four minutes, the Pelicans' interior defense was nonexistent.

The Smith and Anderson combination was like an open door, letting people in and out as they pleased.

Smith had averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds as a starter earlier in the season, but after being squeezed onto the bench by Ajinca, he proved he couldn't handle the pressure.

The Thunder quickly opened the gap to 84-77.

Williams had to bring Tang Tian and Whiteside back in early.

Gordon made a passing error, and the Thunder launched a fast break. Jackson scored a layup and drew a foul on Roberts.

His free throw extended the Thunder's lead to 10 points.

It was the biggest lead of the game so far.

"The Pelicans' backups at the point guard and center positions are a big problem."

Kenny Smith hit the nail on the head from the commentary booth.

Against a strong team like the Thunder, any fatal weakness would be exploited mercilessly.

Durant was smiling happily on the bench.

This wave was important for the Thunder, and it could set the tone for the rest of the game!

And the key was that he was still on the bench.

Reggie Jackson was a good kid. Although he couldn't help him two years ago, he'd grown up in the last two years!

On the Pelicans' offensive end, Tang Tian had the ball in the frontcourt.

Anderson, Roberts, and Gordon all spaced out their defenders, and Whiteside was deep in the paint.

Now the Pelicans were on the verge of collapse. In this adversity, they could only rely on Tang Tian.

Lamb patted his head during the defense.

He trained with Tang Tian in the summer and knew how difficult he was to deal with. Plus, from their previous matchups, that feeling was even stronger.

And that kind of personality was innate. Although he had been whipped by Tang Tian, it wouldn't change him completely.

Tang Tian lowered his body and dribbled, with a series of crossovers. Lamb tried his best to keep up.

But then Tang Tian suddenly accelerated past him, and his resistance was clearly a bit much.

After Tang Tian squeezed past Lamb, he pulled up for a jumper at the free throw line.

Adams in the paint didn't have time to come out, and was boxing out Whiteside under the basket.

"Swish!"

Tang Tian's shot went in cleanly.

No rebound.

Durant's expression changed on the bench.

Tang Tian always came to ruin his good mood.

On the Thunder's offensive end, Jackson's strong drive drew Whiteside's fifth personal foul.

Durant shouted excitedly on the bench.

That's it, kill these Pelicans!

Williams held his head on the sidelines. Whiteside's foul frequency was truly outrageous.

But he didn't make a substitution. Whiteside was a backup, and he just needed to hold on for two more minutes to complete his task.

"Five, he has five!"

Fisher loudly reminded Jackson from the side.

Jackson nodded, continued to attack the basket after Adams' screen.

Whiteside looked visibly hesitant to make a move.

Jackson went straight for a quick layup.

"Bang!"

But as soon as the ball left his hand, Whiteside quickly reached out and gave him a huge block!

Whiteside's thought process seemed different from ordinary people. He didn't care at all that he already had five fouls!

And after the block, he even got the defensive rebound!

The Pelicans launched a fast break. Tang Tian caught Roberts' long pass in transition, shook off Lamb who was chasing him, and took a pull-up three-pointer.

The ball spun in the air, drawing an arc.

"Swish!"

The three-pointer went in cleanly!

Tang Tian had scored 5 consecutive points!

The gap was reduced to 5 points!

Brooks shook his head on the sidelines, stood up and called Durant over.

Durant quickly walked to the technical table.

"Pa!"

But as soon as he arrived, Tang Tian stole Jackson's breakthrough, and went on a fast break himself!

Williams didn't let Tang Tian defend Durant, but he didn't say he couldn't defend Jackson!

In Jackson's mind, he was instantly transported back to two years ago!

Things had changed, but some things seemed to never change!

Like Tang Tian's steal!

Tang Tian went on a fast break to the frontcourt and slammed a one-handed dunk.

After scoring 7 consecutive points, he helped the Pelicans cut the deficit to 3 points in the blink of an eye!

Durant was so anxious on the sidelines, but the game hadn't entered a dead ball, so he couldn't get on the court.

Tang Tian's consecutive points ignited the Pelicans' players' fighting spirit. Lamb's breakthrough was actually blocked by Anderson!

The Pelicans launched another transition offense.

Tang Tian took the lead, and after receiving a pass from Roberts, his dynamite pack attribute was triggered. After a collision with Jackson, his layup drew a foul on the latter and went in!

2+1!

The sidelines were buzzing.

If Tang Tian made the free throw, the Pelicans would tie the game!

The good news was that Durant, with a gloomy face, was finally substituted into the game.

Two minutes ago, he was enjoying a happy life, but in the last two minutes, he was already burning with anger.

Tang Tian really couldn't let him have a good mood.

Westbrook frowned as he watched from the sidelines.

Tang Tian politely declined his invitation to dinner before the game. Looking at the state of Tang Tian and Durant, it wouldn't be easy to ease the relationship.

Tang Tian adjusted his breathing and steadily made the free throw.

It had to be said that Williams' strategy of not letting him defend Durant was really correct.

After making the free throw, his score had gone up to 40.

This was the 5th time he had scored 40+ points this season. Except for that game against the Timberwolves, this was really the easiest time he had scored 40+.

After Durant came on, the Thunder's firepower was renewed, and the two teams' scores were also rapidly deadlocked.

The Pelicans' performance in this game was really impressive.

Except for the beginning of the fourth quarter, they played evenly with the Thunder throughout the game.

Of course, Tang Tian was the most critical person. He then scored another 5 consecutive points, and as the game entered the final three minutes, he had already scored 45 points!

This score had broken his previous career record of 44 points against the Warriors!

This was already his career night!

And the game wasn't over yet!

Durant on the other side also had 40 points!

As the game reached the final moments, the two players' scoring title race had also become fierce.

"Can someone tell me, how much is their average score difference?"

Barkley suddenly asked with great interest.

Smith flipped through his tablet and quickly gave the answer.

"Less than 0.1 points, Durant is leading."

Tang Tian's touch had been poor since his return, and coupled with the weak strength of his opponents, his average score was decreasing.

Durant was putting out consistent scores, and had surpassed him.

"At this rate, Tang must get more than 50 points to have a chance to surpass him."

O'Neal continued.

"Provided Durant doesn't get 50 points."

Smith responded, he was still very rigorous.

It was unknown if Smith's mouth was poisonous, but the two teams on the court really fell into a scoring drought.

Whether it was Tang Tian or Durant, or Westbrook or Davis, both teams' shots were repeatedly missing.

As the game entered the final minute, the score on the court was tied at 103.

And Tang Tian and Durant's scores hadn't increased!

Barkley patted Smith's shoulder, with a smile that seemed to say, you're going to take over my big mouth title!

The final minute, the moment of victory.

At that moment, the Pelicans suddenly made an adjustment. Morrow replaced Aminu, and Tang Tian was directly matched up with Durant!

In the decisive moment, the Pelicans still used their strongest move.

Durant was also very excited at this time, the Pelicans were giving him a chance.

Ending the game matched up against Tang Tian, there was no better script than this.

He posted up against Tang Tian, ​​turned and broke through, then did a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

His technical movements were very smooth.

"Pa!"

But at the moment he pulled the ball, he felt a lightness in his hand.

The ball had been stolen by Tang Tian!

Tang Tian's defensive skills came from Allen, and his defensive style was also very similar to Allen, providing enough interference.

Although Durant completed the technical movement, he was actually completing it with difficulty with his insufficient physical strength!

The crowd was in an uproar.

Durant had bombarded the court for the whole game, but when he was matched up against Tang Tian…

Tang Tian's fast break after the steal was pulled back by Westbrook from behind.

Because he was anxious, there were no other players in front of Tang Tian, so it was an unsportsmanlike foul.

Two free throws and possession.

Brooks stood dumbfounded on the sidelines, feeling a little desperate.

The team's two core players had contributed two mistakes at a critical moment.

Tang Tian adjusted his breathing and made both free throws despite the boos.

The Pelicans took a 2-point lead and had possession.

Tang Tian's individual score also came to 47 points.

Williams called a timeout, this attack was very important for the Pelicans.

If they scored, it was likely to end the game directly.

When the timeout returned, the home fans had all stood up.

The Pelicans threw the ball inbounds.

"Defense! Defense!"

The cheers at the scene reached the highest decibel.

The sound that people can make when standing is obviously much louder than when sitting.

The Thunder's defense was also at its best, and Tang Tian had no chance to catch the ball at all.

By the time he managed to get the ball, half the time was already over, and it was directly a double team.

This time he didn't pass the ball, but made a sudden stop and pull-up jumper after a big change of direction to the right.

Davis and Whiteside were under the basket, so it didn't matter if he didn't make the shot.

"Bang!"

His critical shot under high pressure didn't go in.

But Whiteside boxed out Adams at this time, and Davis jumped up and dunked the ball!

The Pelicans took a 4-point lead!

The last 30 seconds!

The Thunder called a timeout!

The Pelicans' bench cheered excitedly.

This time Davis stood up at a critical moment to share the pressure for Tang Tian!

"They really have a future."

Barkley repeated in the commentary booth.

This was only the first year of the Tang Tian and Davis combination, and they were already playing against the second-ranked Thunder in the West in this situation, and they were even leading by 4 points at a critical moment.

Although their performance stability was still insufficient due to their youth, their future was really promising!

When the timeout returned, the Thunder inbounded the ball from the backcourt.

Westbrook quickly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.

Now the Thunder had two options, either score a quick 2 points and then defend one, or compress the time, score a 3-pointer, and then foul.

The Thunder's choice was to score a quick two points.

Westbrook directly charged into the paint with Adams' screen, directly launching the Divine Turtle Bombardment.

But Whiteside stood outside the restricted area and blocked his layup!

The Thunder almost lost their chance!

At a critical moment, the inexperienced Adams stood up. He grabbed the offensive rebound and scored a second chance after a continuous confrontation with Whiteside!

The Thunder reduced the difference to 2 points!

However, with this wave of attack, the Thunder's strategy failed. Although they scored 2 points, there were only less than 20 seconds left.

They only had one way to go: to foul in advance.

The Pelicans quickly inbounded the ball from the baseline, and Tang Tian received the ball.

Westbrook immediately fouled him.

At this time, it was time to test the Pelicans' free throws.

Tang Tian had two free throw opportunities.

The scene created an unprecedented loud noise, and there were all kinds of dazzling cheering sticks in front of Tang Tian.

However, he had the Free Throw King skill in hand, and the physical exertion in this game was really not that great compared to before.

He steadily made both free throws. Tang Tian scored his 49th point, and the Pelicans once again extended the difference to 4 points.

The Thunder called their last timeout.

The hearts of the fans at the scene felt like they were about to jump out of their throats.

It was obviously just an ordinary regular season game, but the two teams had played like it was the playoffs.

When the timeout returned, the Thunder had a tactical opportunity on the outside.

This time it was Durant who made the shot. He took a shot over Davis' high-pressure defense.

This ball was difficult.

"Swish!"

But the basketball still fell into the net!

A clutch three-pointer at a critical moment!

Durant roared and beat his chest after scoring.

This three-pointer was a great relief.

A difference of 1 point!

The Pelicans didn't call a timeout and directly inbounded the ball from the baseline.

There was only one purpose for doing this: to get the ball into Tang Tian's hands.

Tang Tian was the leader of this team, and also the player with the most stable free throws.

With the last 8 seconds, the Thunder fouled Tang Tian again.

Still two free throw opportunities.

If he missed both or made one, the Thunder would have a chance to make a buzzer beater. If he made both, the Thunder would have a chance to force overtime.

Just before Tang Tian's free throw, Tang Tian's personal data was displayed on the scene: 49 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.

As long as he made one of his free throws, he would get the first 50 points of his career.

The cheers at the scene were overwhelming, even higher than before, piercing people's eardrums.

Tang Tian adjusted his breathing and took the first free throw.

The ball was released, drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

He didn't seem to be disturbed by the outside world.

"Swish!"

The first free throw was made.

He got the first 50 points of his career!

ps: Special thanks to the reward from "won't program's cat"!!