Adelman stood courtside, shaking his head.

The Timberwolves' two big men were too heavy; they couldn't keep up with this kind of fast break.

But that was the Timberwolves' only advantage on the court. If they took them out, the Timberwolves would collapse even faster.

Perhaps to prove that Adelman's decision not to substitute was correct, Pekovic received a pass from Rubio inside and forced a shot over Ajinca.

10 to 22.

The Timberwolves were still 12 points behind.

The Pelicans ran a set play in the frontcourt. The Timberwolves didn't double-team Tang Tian after he received the ball.

Holiday's earlier three-pointer was crucial.

Tang Tian continued to go one-on-one against Brewer, a crossover followed by a sudden step-back jumper.

"Clang!"

This shot missed.

He couldn't make every shot.

In the battle for the rebound, Davis used his long arms to tip the ball out.

Tang Tian reacted quickly, jumped up, grabbed the ball, and charged straight to the basket.

Love had just turned around when he saw Tang Tian's shot at the basket.

He went to block the shot, but his wingspan was only a little longer than Griffin's. He didn't block the ball, but he did hit Tang Tian's hand.

Tang Tian shot again after the contact.

"Swish!"

The ball drew a small arc in the air before falling into the basket.

And-one!

After landing, Tang Tian turned and gave Davis a high-five.

Their chemistry was getting better and better.

Tang Tian steadily made the free throw, bringing his personal score to 18 points.

The Pelicans had dominated this quarter.

Adelman finally took Pekovic out at this point and replaced him with the defensive-minded Cunningham.

He wasn't going to play an offensive game with the Pelicans, he was going to play defense.

Tang Tian was heavily double-teamed in the last few minutes of this quarter and had almost no opportunities to shoot.

But the other Pelicans were also in good form.

Before the last possession of the first quarter, they were already leading the Timberwolves by 17 points, 38 to 21.

Tang Tian ran an off-ball play, received the ball, and went one-on-one against Cunningham for the last possession.

A series of crossover dribbles, followed by a buzzer-beating step-back jumper.

Cunningham's defense was indeed good. He wasn't completely shaken off, and his outstretched arm provided interference.

"Swish!"

But Tang Tian still made the shot!

He scored 20 points in a single quarter with this buzzer-beater!

The Pelicans also gained a huge 19-point advantage in the first quarter!

"I take back what I said earlier."

Metta Sandiford-Artest said to Tang Tian with a big smile during the timeout.

His previous words had become a reverse jinx. Tang Tian's touch hadn't been frozen, but was instead hotter than ever.

On the other side of the court, Timberwolves coach Adelman was being interviewed by a sideline reporter.

"How would you evaluate the team's performance in the first quarter?"

The reporter asked a standard question, but Adelman's face was very ugly.

Obviously, being bombarded for 40 points in one quarter and trailing by nearly 20 points made the question a little uncomfortable.

"A pile of shit."

After a long silence, Adelman used a very vivid adjective.

"Then what aspects of the team do you think weren't done well?"

The reporter seemed a little slow to react and didn't realize that Adelman was angry.

"Two points."

"Which two points?"

"The offense is bad, and the defense is bad."

After answering, Adelman glared at the reporter, then turned and went back to the bench.

The reporter was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses.

But Adelman's summary was indeed very accurate.

The Timberwolves' performance in the first quarter, with their constipated offense and diarrhea-like defense, was really a bit unbearable.

During the bench player rotation in the second quarter, Adelman kept the players who performed poorly on the bench and replaced them with bench players.

Luc Mbah a Moute, Derrick Williams, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng.

These players rarely had opportunities to play usually, and they played very actively after coming on the court.

Plus, a propellant like Barea.

Several successful defenses plus several offensive and defensive transitions quickly narrowed the gap to within fifteen points.

Derrick Williams stood out during this period, scoring from both mid and long range.

It was also at this time that Tang Tian noticed him.

It was a bit sad to think about it.

The fourth overall pick who was determined to get revenge on Tang Tian had now almost fallen to the point where he had no ball to play.

This was the reality.

Even Thompson, who was constantly evolving, was now just trying to catch up with Tang Tian.

Coach Monty Williams saw that the momentum was a little off, called Tang Tian and Davis over, and prepared to substitute them in early.

Adelman didn't make any substitutions, he was preparing to give the team's rotation players a wake-up call.

Derrick Williams drove to the basket and drew a foul on Jason Smith, earning two free throws.

Tang Tian and Davis were substituted in.

Williams looked a little complicated when he saw Tang Tian come on.

But after adjusting his breathing, he made both free throws, helping the Timberwolves narrow the gap to 12 points.

When Tang Tian came on the court, the Pelicans' focus shifted to him.

In the frontcourt, Williams was the primary defender, and Muhammad was waiting for an opportunity to double-team from the wing.

Tang Tian noticed it and dribbled the ball to the other side.

Williams' strength was good, but his speed was now difficult to keep up with Tang Tian.

He tried very hard to keep up.

Tang Tian broke through and then pulled up for a step-back jumper.

Williams' footsteps were a little chaotic, and he slipped and fell to the ground.

There was an uproar in the arena. Williams had been shaken to the ground by Tang Tian!

Both were third-year students, but now they were truly worlds apart!

"Swish!"

Tang Tian made the jumper after shaking off Williams.

This shot helped the Pelicans stabilize the situation on the court.

After getting up, Williams clenched his fists involuntarily.

In the frontcourt, he reached out for the ball with his back to Tang Tian.

He was going to get his revenge.

Barea passed the ball in. Although Williams had been shaken down, his condition in this quarter was still good.

Williams held the ball and posted up.

This was also his advantage when he used to play against Tang Tian.

But now that Tang Tian had gained weight, his strength didn't give him the same advantage as before.

"Pa!"

Instead, he exerted too much force. Tang Tian took a step back and stole the ball directly from his hands!

He didn't have a point of support, and he fell to the ground again...

Tang Tian intercepted the ball and launched a fast break.

A two-on-one in the frontcourt. He and Holiday passed the ball to each other, and the ball finally passed back to him. He forced his way past Barea and scored, drawing a foul in the process!

Another and-one!

Williams was just slowly returning to the backcourt at this time.

Tang Tian had a free throw opportunity.

Adelman substituted the starters back in.

Williams' eyes were full of unwillingness. He kept looking at Tang Tian as he left the court.

But he was no longer the key player the team was focusing on in his rookie season. He only had so few opportunities.

Tang Tian noticed Williams' gaze, turned his head to look, and then turned back.

Things had changed.

A sentence flashed through his mind, and then he steadily made the free throw.

After scoring 5 consecutive points, the Pelicans widened the gap to 17 points again.