Westbrook scored 32 points on 11-of-26 shooting, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide.

Jackson also had 19 points, but no one else on the Thunder scored in double figures.

For the Pelicans, Tang Tian had 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 11-of-20 shooting, Ariza hit 5 three-pointers and had 17 points and 3 steals, and Gordon added 16 points.

Whiteside and Davis didn't score much, but they had a lot of rebounds, combining for 20 points, 26 rebounds, and 6 blocks.

After the game, Tang Tian, as the MVP of the game, was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines.

He mentioned his teammates more than once in his answers.

The Pelicans' wing had been a problem last season. Aminu, who started with Tang Tian, had D but no 3, and Morrow had 3 but no D, both of whom were easily targeted by opponents.

But now that Ariza, a 3D player, has arrived, he can defend both the two and three positions, which is simply perfect.

Even at the five position, Whiteside's growth, combined with Davis in the paint, although young, can provide far more help than last season.

And then there's Jokic off the bench. Although his performance has fluctuated due to weight loss recently, the future is promising.

After the interview, Tang Tian found Watson coming down to the court.

"Congratulations."

Watson smiled and reached out to Tang Tian to congratulate him.

"Thank you. How did you enjoy the game?"

Tang Tian chatted with her for a few more words.

"Very good, this sport is great to watch, I like it."

Watson nodded with a smile.

"That's good, but if you want to come to a game next time, you can say hello to me first, and I can get you tickets closer to the front."

Tang Tian said, as a friend, he still had to do his part as a host.

Watson nodded with a smile.

The two chatted for a few more words, and Watson left first.

Watching Watson leave, Tang Tian turned his gaze back.

He met Watson because of Olsen's movie shoot. He didn't expect to run into her so many times.

He entered the players' tunnel, but didn't go back to the locker room immediately, but went to attend the press conference.

At the press conference, he said much the same as he did on the court, constantly praising his teammates.

Ariza was sitting next to Tang Tian at this time, and Tang Tian smiled as he praised him.

When it was his turn, he couldn't help it.

"This is probably the most I've seen a core player praise his teammates in my many years as a professional player. In reality, he's the one who leads us to win."

Ariza's words drew applause from many reporters in the audience.

The team atmosphere of the Pelicans is really great. You have to know that Ariza has only been in New Orleans for two or three months.

Some of the local veteran reporters even realized that Tang Tian's arrival has brought not only a change in strength to this team, but also a change in culture.

This may be even more valuable than improving strength.

The Pelicans started the season with consecutive wins over the Trail Blazers, Heat, and Thunder, a three-game winning streak, and were in hot form.

They also continued this momentum.

In the next half month, except for a loss to the Celtics due to poor form, they successively defeated the Wizards, Bucks, and Clippers.

Half a month into the season, they had a record of 6 wins and 1 loss.

This record was second only to the Spurs' 7 wins and 0 losses, and ahead of the Warriors' 5 wins and 1 loss, ranking second in the West.

In addition to the record, Jokic began to lose weight according to the food list given by Cecilia.

Although he is a foodie, he has strong self-discipline and works very hard. He lost 3 kilograms this week, which is more than he lost in the past month.

At this rate, in another month or two, he will reach the team's required weight value.

The Pelicans' next opponent is the Spurs.

If they can win this game, they will reach the top of the Western Conference for the first time.

This is a proud achievement for a team that has only been formed for the second year.

And you have to know that they were not favored by the outside world before the start of the season.

So winning this first place against the Spurs is very important to them.

They are also holding their breath.

But it is very difficult to win against the Spurs this season.

After Gasol arrived at the Spurs, he became an enhanced version of Diaw, and his pick-and-roll game was in full swing. Leonard and Green have also made great progress compared to last season.

Even the old Duncan has regained his fighting spirit after the dynasty's failure, and has ushered in the second spring of his career.

Plus Parker, Ginobili, Diaw and a group of other strong players.

As the only team in the league to win all of their games since the start of the season, and with Popovich at the helm, winning against them is by no means an easy task.

This game was at the Spurs' home court, and the Pelicans' players arrived in San Antonio a day in advance.

When they arrived in San Antonio, before they even started training, Popovich pulled Tang Tian over to drink red wine.

Ever since Tang Tian left, no one on the team has been able to drink with him happily, and he has been holding it in.

"Old man, are you planning to get me drunk with wine so you can win the game!"

Tang Tian hadn't sat down and drank with Popovich like this since he came to the Pelicans. He joked as soon as he picked up the glass.

"You found out."

Popovich nodded and said.

The two looked at each other, and then laughed.

When Tang Tian left the Spurs, although neither Tang Tian nor Popovich said anything, they both had some thoughts in their hearts.

But time can dilute everything. The two of them are sitting down at this moment, completely unconcerned about what happened in the past, just old friends catching up.

The two didn't drink much wine, but they talked about a lot of things.

From Ginobili's old dog to the spicy crawfish in New Orleans' Chinatown; from Davis' cute daily life to the newly opened winery in San Antonio, they talked about everything without any reservations.

"If you keep playing like this, you have a good chance of winning the MVP."

At the end of the conversation, Popovich said to Tang Tian with a smile.

"No, I'm scared."

Originally, this was a good thing, but Tang Tian waved his hand repeatedly after hearing it, because these words came from Popovich's mouth, and he knew Popovich's power of prediction.

Speaking of which, he competed for the scoring title last season, and this season he wants to help the team win more games, and compete for the MVP.

"Old man, promise me, don't praise me in front of the reporters tomorrow, I still want to lead the team to win the first place in the West."

Tang Tian didn't forget to say when he talked about this.

"Okay, okay."

Popovich laughed and nodded after hearing this.

The next day, the Spurs held an open practice.

After the training session, Popovich was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines.

"How do you evaluate tonight's opponent, the Pelicans?"

The reporter asked a relatively routine question.

"They are the strongest team in the league right now. They have the best interior combination. You know they once had as many as 15 blocks in a game. They also have a very good core and some of the best role players in the league. We have to work very hard to have a chance to win the game."

Popovich's interview was quickly reported by the media.

Before the game, Tang Tian saw this news in the locker room.

His expression was one of amusement and dismay.

A good core, Popovich really didn't praise him.

But... he's praising the Pelicans to the heavens!

This old man is really bad, you can't trust a single word he says!