Leonard's expression instantly turned wooden again.

In the end, he still failed.

Tang Tian saw the change in his expression, and a scene from Naruto flashed through his mind involuntarily.

"My foolish younger brother..."

His touch was hot right now, and Leonard would have to work harder to defend him.

Popovich let Tang Tian play Leonard one-on-one in the mid-range.

The result proved his choice was wrong.

Tang Tian's hand was hot, and Leonard couldn't limit him. Although the Pelicans didn't score much from other players, Tang Tian scored 18 points in this quarter.

More importantly, Tang Tian's crazy output boosted the team's morale, and the Pelicans' defense improved a lot.

Whiteside and Davis played absolute high-intensity defense.

After the first quarter, the Pelicans were leading the Spurs by 4 points with a score of 26 to 22.

Popovich reacted quickly. After seeing that the defensive strategy didn't work, he immediately switched back.

Tang Tian's touch declined somewhat later, and the two sides tied at 93 points with one minute left in the fourth quarter.

The Pelicans had the ball. Tang Tian received the ball in the frontcourt, and in the double-team, he passed the ball to Davis, who turned around in the low post and hit the backboard.

The shot was right on target, but the ball bounced off the front of the rim.

He was getting more and more like Duncan, but he still had a long way to go in terms of consistency.

Gasol protected the defensive rebound.

The Spurs attacked the frontcourt and ran a hammer tactic, with Parker making a quick breakthrough layup.

"Bang!"

Davis flew over to help defend and gave Parker a chase-down block, and then grabbed the defensive rebound.

He made up for his mistake.

Williams called a timeout. With 20 seconds left, the Pelicans had a chance to win with one shot.

When the timeout returned, Cole dribbled the ball in the frontcourt to control the time, pressing it down to about 10 seconds.

Tang Tian ran out to receive the ball.

Green and Leonard rushed up frantically. In this kind of crucial moment, the Spurs didn't want to give Tang Tian a chance to shoot.

But Tang Tian didn't think about shooting directly at all.

He threw the ball to Davis at the high post.

Just as the Spurs were retreating, he suddenly accelerated and cut to the basket.

He used a feint!

Davis was tall, had a wide field of vision, and most importantly had long hands and good passing skills. He passed the ball back to Tang Tian, who made an emergency stop and pulled up for a jump shot after catching the ball.

The audience held their breath.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net!

With 2.6 seconds left in the game, Tang Tian made the winning shot!

He also got his 38th point of the game!

Although he failed to score 50+ for the third straight game, this key shot directly killed the game!

Popovich called the last timeout.

With 2.6 seconds left, it was difficult for the Spurs to set up a complete tactic.

When the timeout returned, Gasol inbounded the ball on the sideline.

The Spurs ran an out-of-bounds play. Parker made an off-ball cut to screen, and Green came around the screen to catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer.

This tactic was very Popovich-like. Probably no one would have thought that Green would take the final shot.

Davis's interference was slow, and Green had a pretty good space to shoot.

The ball spun towards the basket.

"Clang!"

But the ball was a little off, hitting the right side of the rim and popping out.

The Pelicans won!

The cheers of the fans in the audience were about to burst out.

But at this moment, Leonard broke away from Ariza and rushed to the basket, jumping up a little.

"Beep!"

The red light on the sideline lit up as he tapped the ball.

The ball bounced a few times on the rim before rolling in.

The Spurs players cheered excitedly.

The audience was in an uproar.

Because it was a buzzer-beating tip-in, the scene was shown in an LED replay.

The replay showed that the ball had already left his hand when the light came on, and Leonard's final tip-in was valid!

The two sides would enter overtime!

The audience was in an uproar. The game was full of ups and downs.

In the 5-minute overtime, Davis and Gasol jumped for the ball again.

This time, Gasol jumped and won against Davis, winning the offensive opportunity for the Spurs.

There were only 5 minutes in overtime, and a team generally only had 6-7 offensive opportunities, so every one was crucial.

The confrontation on the court between the two sides was very intense.

The Spurs were almost forced to 24 seconds, and the ball was finally given to Leonard, who faced Ariza's shot.

Ariza's interference was great, and Leonard's shot arc was also very high.

"Swish!"

"Beep!"

The red light on the sideline flashed when the ball went in.

A 24-second buzzer-beater.

Including the tip-in at the end of regulation, Leonard had made two big-heart shots in a row.

The Pelicans attacked, and Tang Tian ran off-ball.

The Spurs' strength had obviously improved after adding Gasol, but the core lineup was still a bit old.

Tang Tian ran off-ball, using the screens of Davis and Whiteside under the basket. Gasol and Duncan's help defense was obviously a bit slow.

Tang Tian caught the ball and pulled up for a jump shot against the help defense of Leonard.

"Swish!"

The ball went through the net.

The Pelicans tied the score!

The cheers of the fans in the audience rose up.

Leonard had overperformed at a critical moment, but they had Tang Tian!

The Spurs attacked, and Parker signaled to pull away and directly let Leonard play Ariza.

The two shots Leonard had made earlier had also greatly increased his teammates' confidence in him.

Ariza's defense was in place, and Leonard didn't have a good chance. He finally chose to fadeaway.

His fadeaway was obviously not as beautiful as Tang Tian's, a bit stiff and straight up and down, but his hands were long, and he had good control of the ball.

The ball left his hand, passing over Ariza's defense.

"Clang!"

It hit the back of the rim, but bounced and fell into the net!

He had scored 4 points in a row in overtime!

The Spurs' bench was in an uproar.

Popovich also clenched his fist secretly. Leonard had gotten more opportunities after Tang Tian left, and had finally grown up after more than a season.

Tang Tian got to the frontcourt, caught the ball and signaled his teammates to go to the baseline, then suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer.

This was very sudden, and Leonard was slow to react and interfered.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net.

Tang Tian's big heart at the critical moment was bigger than Leonard's.

He had taken over the Pelicans' first 7 points in overtime!

The fans in the audience patted their chests and shouted that they couldn't stand it. This was really a battle of gods.

Fortunately, in the next few minutes, both sides' offenses were defended. With one minute left in overtime, the Pelicans still maintained a 1-point advantage.

Tang Tian's breakthrough caused Gasol to foul, giving him a key two free throw opportunities.

"MVP! MVP!"

The cheers of "MVP" rang out in the arena.

Tang Tian had already scored 45 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in this game, increasing the number of times he had scored 40+ against Spurs players to 28.

And he had taken over all of the Pelicans' points. This performance definitely deserved the name of MVP!

Amid the cheers, Tang Tian steadily made both free throws.

The Pelicans took a crucial 3-point lead.

With 40 seconds left, Popovich reached out and called a timeout.

When the timeout returned, the Spurs ran a classic pick-and-roll play.

However, Tang Tian knew the Spurs' tactics very well, and had told Williams all the countermeasures during the timeout.

This time, the shot was taken by Belinelli, who had been substituted on, a very Popovich-like choice.

However, his shot was severely interfered by Tang Tian and was a complete air ball.

But the ball fell into Duncan's hands under the basket, and he flicked it to Leonard on the outside in the next second. Leonard caught the ball on the run and shot a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the corner.

The ball reached its highest point, and the red light on the sideline had already lit up.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net. Leonard's miraculous shot went in!

This was his third buzzer-beater of the night!

100 all!

The two sides would enter a second overtime!

Tang Tian glanced at the score and couldn't help but smile.

This younger brother, Leonard, had really grown up.

The second overtime between the two sides.

This time, Davis jumped and won against Gasol, giving the Pelicans the first offensive opportunity.

Neither side was able to score in the first two minutes.

The low scores on both sides did not mean that the game was not intense. On the contrary, the intensity of the confrontation and defense on the court was particularly high.

By the time they reached the second overtime, both sides were starting to have some physical problems.

In the stalemate, Tang Tian stood up. He knew it was not easy to play on the outside, so he took the ball and rushed inside, drawing a foul from Gasol after the collision.

He took a breath and steadily made both free throws on the free throw line, giving the Pelicans the lead.

The Spurs also gave the ball to Leonard, who played Ariza again.

Ariza maintained a high level of defense, and Leonard turned around and shot again.

"Clang!"

The basketball hit the rim and bounced out.

Whiteside protected the defensive rebound.

Tang Tian got to the frontcourt and ran off-ball, then continued to break through to the basket after catching the ball, a completely explosive style of play, forcing his way up against Gasol.

Gasol had 5 fouls and didn't dare to act rashly, and Tang Tian directly pressed the ball into the basket.

A 4-point lead, with two minutes left.

Leonard couldn't beat Ariza in the frontcourt, so he gave the ball back to Parker, who broke into the basket and made a floater after a pick-and-roll with Duncan.

"Bang!"

Whiteside was young and had good stamina, and he blocked his shot back in one breath.

Tang Tian reacted quickly and grabbed the blocked ball.

The possession changed hands.

The Spurs fell into a scoring drought.

Tang Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. The Spurs contracted their defense. Tang Tian broke through to the mid-range area, turned around and shook off Leonard for a fadeaway shot.

He had broken through twice in a row before, so this choice was a bit unexpected, and Leonard's defense was a bit unresponsive.

The fans in the audience widened their eyes. This posture was so handsome.

And the key was Tang Tian's core strength. It was already double overtime, and he could still make this kind of move.

This shot completely shook off the defense, a rare good opportunity.

The ball flew straight towards the basket.

A perfect parabola.

"Swish!"

Accompanied by a crisp sound, the basketball went through the net.

The point difference came to 6 points!

Popovich reached out and called a timeout.

The Spurs had a feeling of exhaustion in the second overtime.

During the timeout, the LED screen in the arena showed Tang Tian's stats for the game.

17 of 29 shots made, 51 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block!

Tang Tian, scored 50+ for the third consecutive game!

He scored 38 points in regulation, but he took over all 13 points for the Pelicans in both overtimes!

He became the second player after Kobe to achieve this feat!

And behind that data, there was also a small note, something that even Kobe had never done.

He became the first player in the NBA in the last 21 years to score 50+ against the Spurs!

Cheers and whistles rang out in the arena.

The Spurs players heard the cheers and couldn't help but look up.

When they saw the words on the LED screen, they all felt a tightness in their buttocks.

Popovich also looked up, but his expression didn't change.

No one knew what he was thinking.

He finished arranging the tactics, and with more than ten seconds left, he wanted to say something encouraging, but he always felt like something was wrong.

It wasn't until they were about to take the court that he remembered the source of the problem.

When Tang Tian was in the Spurs, Tang Tian was the one who said those motivational words, and he himself wasn't good at it.

"Let's go on the court."

He only managed to squeeze out a few words in the end.

When the timeout returned, the Spurs played a wonderful play, with Duncan scoring a goal under the basket, finally breaking the Spurs' scoring drought.

With one minute left, as long as they defended the Pelicans' next attack, they would still have a chance.

The Spurs players on the court also tried their best, not giving Tang Tian a chance to catch the ball.

But just when their defensive focus was on Tang Tian, Davis seized the opportunity and scored a goal under the basket, eating Duncan alive.

This goal basically announced the end of the game.

Gasol's three-pointer from the arc missed, and Davis protected the defensive rebound.

With a 6-point difference and less than 20 seconds left, the Spurs didn't play anymore.

Cole dribbled the ball to half court, dribbling it all the way until the final whistle sounded.

In the end, the Pelicans narrowly defeated the Spurs 108-102 in double overtime at home, taking a crucial victory!

In addition to Tang Tian's 51 points, Davis also had an outstanding performance with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

On the Spurs side, Leonard had 27 points and 7 rebounds, Gasol had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Parker had 18 points and 11 assists, and Duncan had 14 points and 6 rebounds.

After the game, the players on both sides exchanged handshakes.

Tang Tian exchanged greetings with Duncan, Leonard, Diaw, and Ginobili, who was wearing a suit, and inevitably had his head touched and his butt patted.

Finally, he greeted Popovich.

Seeing Tang Tian, the old man, who had been wearing a straight face, showed a helpless wry smile.

"You guy, you're so ruthless to the old guys."

Tang Tian smiled helplessly after hearing this, and hugged Popovich tightly.

"I'm free tonight, we can have a drink together."

He then said.

Popovich shook his head.

"I've quit drinking."

"Quit drinking?"

"Just now, for a month."

Hearing Popovich say this, Tang Tian realized that the old man was talking about the tough words he had said before the game.

It seemed that what he said about being ruthless was not only referring to the game, but also to the tough words he had said before the game.

A month without alcohol was definitely a difficult thing for an alcoholic.

But he didn't expect to get 50 points. He only scored 38 points in regulation.

Leonard had to take the blame for this.

If it wasn't for his key shots, the game would have been over long ago.

At the post-match press conference, reporters naturally asked about the pre-game promise.

"Yes, we couldn't limit him."

The old man was unusually serious and honest this time, and it could be seen that he was indeed a little helpless to have lost this crucial battle.

After the game, fans on social media were also hotly discussing it.

For them, being able to see such a game before the All-Star Game was definitely an exciting thing.

"I'm young, is this the Kobe you guys are talking about?"

"This isn't Kobe, the number of misses is more than the number of shots made, o(￣e￣*)"

"You're just being cheeky, be careful your kidneys get broken, this is the data of peak Kobe!"

"50+ for three consecutive games, and back-to-back, this scoring explosiveness is really unmatched since Kobe!"

"Popovich on the opposite side must be very sad, the Spurs let go of the next Kobe."

"Popovich said at the post-match press conference that he would keep his promise, and he will not drink alcohol for the next month."

"Alas, it's really sad, he's already in his sixties, and he still has to abstain from alcohol!"

"That's not right, if Popovich agrees not to drink, wouldn't that mean...the entire Spurs team will have to sit out the next game with tight buttocks?"

"??"

"666, brother, you're so cheeky!"

……