A critical defensive play!

In a fierce battle for position under the basket, Davis used his long arms to secure the defensive rebound and immediately called a timeout.

With 20 seconds left, the Pelicans led by 2 points and still had possession!

Ariza roared with excitement when he saw the referee's timeout signal.

The Pelicans had half the victory in their grasp!

Tonight, they really didn't need God anymore!

Tang Tian's expression was quite relaxed at this point.

Whiteside and Ariza's two defensive plays had taken a lot of pressure off him.

This was the Pelicans' improvement; they were no longer the team from last season where he had to handle everything on both offense and defense, being both father and mother to the team.

Moreover, Davis' choice after getting the rebound was also very clever.

With less than 24 seconds on the clock, the Spurs' only option was to foul and call a timeout to substitute their best free-throw shooters, which was the correct choice.

When the timeout ended, the Pelicans made a big substitution, with Morrow, Teletovic, and Cole all coming onto the court.

Davis successfully passed the ball to Tang Tian on the perimeter.

The Spurs immediately fouled.

Two free throws for Tang Tian.

If he made one, the Pelicans' chances of winning would be very high.

If he made both, the Pelicans would basically seal the victory.

The boos from the crowd were deafening.

Although the process of the game was completely different from last season, the same thing was that the outcome of the game was still in Tang Tian's hands.

Tang Tian took his first free throw, and the ball went smoothly through the net.

His free throw percentage this season was as high as 90%, so the probability of him missing was very small.

The second free throw.

"Swish!"

It was another clean shot.

Popovich called the Spurs' last timeout.

A 4-point difference with 19 seconds left, it all depended on whether the Spurs could make a three-pointer.

The fans in the arena stood up at this time, and their emotions weren't very high.

Losing the game and losing the top spot in the West was really hard to accept.

When the timeout ended, the Spurs inbounded the ball from the backcourt, and Parker quickly advanced with the ball.

The Pelicans' defense was spread wide, and Williams' intention was very clear: not to give the Spurs a chance to shoot a three-pointer.

However, after the Spurs pushed to the frontcourt, Leonard and Gasol were both cutting to the basket.

Parker flicked the ball to Leonard, who quickly scored 2 points under the basket.

The Spurs unexpectedly went for a 2-pointer.

That choice was very Popovich-like.

The Pelicans called another timeout, which was also their last one.

There were still 14 seconds left, and the difference was still 2 points.

The fans in the arena nervously kept looking at the big screen.

When the timeout ended, the Pelicans inbounded the ball from the backcourt.

The Spurs were applying a lot of physical contact and pressure at this time; their intention was to force the Pelicans to make a turnover on the inbound pass.

Davis still looked for Tang Tian.

The ball was passed out, but Leonard pounced out from the weak side and intercepted the ball!

Leonard contributed a "death wrap" at the most critical moment!

The Spurs had seized the last chance!

Davis still lacked experience at the critical moment!

The Spurs had no timeouts left, and Leonard chose to attack the basket directly after getting the ball.

Standing in front of him was Tang Tian.

Leonard made a crossover to the right and drove inside.

Trailing by 2 points, scoring 2 points was a more secure choice.

"Pa!"

But in the next second he dribbled.

Tang Tian reached out and poked the ball out of his hands!

Moreover, after poking the ball out, Tang Tian squeezed past Leonard, taking the ball!

Leonard stole Davis' pass, but Tang Tian stole Leonard's!

The change of possession was very fast. Before anyone else could react, Tang Tian took the ball and charged straight to the frontcourt like lightning.

The Spurs players didn't have time to chase him down.

Tang Tian rushed to the frontcourt, took off one step inside the free throw line, and threw the ball high with one arm.

The eyes of the fans in the arena were filled with despair.

"Boom!"

A one-handed tomahawk dunk, slamming the ball hard into the basket.

This dunk directly sentenced the Spurs to death!

The Spurs inbounded the ball from the baseline. With 8 seconds left, they had no choice but to shoot a three-pointer.

There was a play in the frontcourt, and Ginobili caught the ball two steps away from the three-point line and shot.

"Clang!"

The shot was too far and too difficult.

Davis secured the defensive rebound.

There was an uproar in the arena, and many fans reached out and held their heads.

The Spurs didn't foul at this time. After the last three seconds ticked away, the game officially ended.

97 to 93!

Although the home fans were unwilling, the Pelicans had the last laugh!

Just like last year, they won the first game between the two teams this season.

Last time, it was thanks to Tang Tian's four magical three-pointers, but this time they relied on their solid strength.

For the Spurs, Leonard had a team-high 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was very efficient, making 9 of 16 shots.

Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Parker had 15 points and 7 assists, Ginobili had 11 points, and Duncan had 10 points and 8 rebounds.

For the Pelicans, Tang Tian made 11 of 21 shots and had a game-high 30 points, plus 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.

Davis had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Whiteside had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks, and Holiday had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

This was the most convincing game the Pelicans had won this season.

"Good job."

After the game ended, the two teams shook hands, and Popovich said to Tang Tian.

He had hyped up the Pelicans a lot before the game, but this time it didn't work.

Moreover, Tang Tian, the only one he didn't hype, scored the highest in the game.

"Good job, keep it up."

When he shook hands with Leonard, Tang Tian hugged him and said some words of encouragement.

Leonard's performance in this game was already very good, but he still lacked some experience.

"I said we would win, and now we're number one in the West!"

After the handshake ceremony ended, Whiteside shouted to Tang Tian, looking as happy as a child.

"We won again."

Davis also came over and hugged Tang Tian at this time, and what he said obviously had more meaning.

In a manor in the suburbs of San Antonio.

Holt picked up the medicine bottle in front of him, poured out a pill, quickly threw it into his mouth, took a sip of water to swallow it, and then gasped for breath.

Last year, he was so angry in the arena that he fainted, but fortunately, there were security guards around, so nothing major happened.

But since then, his heart had been a little bad, and he needed to take some tranquilizers and other medications.

He didn't go to the game today, and he didn't plan to watch it at first, but in the end, he couldn't help it.

As a result, he almost had another heart attack.

Fortunately, this was just a regular season game.

The Pelicans were performing well this season, and he now hoped that the Pelicans would go further in the playoffs.

That way, the Spurs could meet them in the playoffs and eliminate them, so that his heart could really feel better.

After all, only a heart medicine can cure a heart disease; these drugs alone cannot cure the root cause.