Tang Tian took a deep breath to adjust after landing.

Because he had the dynamite pack skill as a foundation, he adapted very quickly after exchanging for the Divine Turtle Bombardment.

Moreover, the Trail Blazers were caught off guard by this opening.

After Stotts and the Trail Blazers reacted, his scoring wouldn't be so easy, but it was enough.

Opening 7 to 2, the Pelicans were playing away, but their momentum was already better than the home team Trail Blazers.

Stotts shouted from the sidelines for the players to pay attention to the defensive transition, but he didn't intend to call a timeout.

If he called it so early, the Trail Blazers would really lose in terms of momentum.

Tang Tian made the extra free throw, adding another point for the Pelicans.

On the Trail Blazers' offense, Aldridge isolated Whiteside in the frontcourt, hitting a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

This two-pointer temporarily stabilized the situation for the Trail Blazers.

Back on the other end, Tang Tian was still handling the ball.

Matthews obviously gave Tang Tian a step this time. After being blown past twice in a row, he realized the change in Tang Tian's acceleration.

Tang Tian shot it directly.

The signature scissor legs, a mid-range pull-up jumper.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net cleanly.

Tang Tian had worked hard all summer, and his shooting touch looked even better than last season!

Pull-up jumpers, or all shooting techniques for that matter, excluding uncontrollable factors like injuries, become more accurate the more you practice.

Matthews was in a bit of a bind now. If he defended Tang Tian's shot, Tang Tian could blow past him. If he defended Tang Tian's drive, Tang Tian could just shoot over him!

With two purple skills combined, plus Tang Tian's feel tonight, he was really a bit unstoppable.

Lillard's three-point attempt off a screen was off, and Tang Tian attacked Matthews again in the frontcourt.

Matthews defended a little closer, and Tang Tian's acceleration forced Matthews to retreat before stopping suddenly and pulling up again.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net again!

The game was only four minutes in, and the Pelicans were already leading 12 to 4!

Stotts called a timeout.

At this point, it was no longer about momentum. He had to find a way to limit Tang Tian.

Otherwise, based on Tang Tian's crazy scoring exploits last season, he could really kill the Trail Blazers by scoring against all five of them.

When play resumed after the timeout, Batum passed to Lillard, who showed his big-heart qualities by hitting a long three-pointer.

This three-pointer ignited the Moda Center, and the fans cheered non-stop.

Lillard also made his signature celebration as he retreated on defense, pointing his right hand to his left wrist.

It was his "time."

Tang Tian brought the ball up again in the frontcourt. Matthews was sticking very close, so Tang Tian drove inside.

At this time, the Trail Blazers' defensive strategy changed, and Batum left Ariza to help from the wing.

Tang Tian reacted quickly, passing the ball to Ariza before the double-team formed.

Ariza took the pass and shot a three-pointer.

"Clang!"

The shot was a little off, bouncing off the rim.

But at that moment, Davis crashed into the lane, tipping the ball into the basket over Lopez!

When Tang Tian attracted most of the Trail Blazers' defense, his opportunities emerged!

14 to 7, the Pelicans continued to hold the lead.

"Go, Trail Blazers!"

With the situation unfavorable to the home team, the DJ led the fans in cheers to support the team.

Lillard used a Lopez screen to drive into the lane, using his rhythm to stop and avoid Whiteside before shooting.

"Clang!"

He successfully avoided Whiteside, but he couldn't avoid Davis!

The Pelicans' inside combination's shot-blocking ability was a bit terrifying!

Davis grabbed the defensive rebound after the block, and the Trail Blazers' offense came up empty.

However, their defensive transition was quick, preventing the Pelicans from launching another fast break.

Holiday dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and steadied things before passing it to Tang Tian.

The Trail Blazers still used the same defensive strategy, with Batum double-teaming Tang Tian after he drove.

Tang Tian continued to pass the ball to Ariza, who caught the pass and shot again.

"Swish!"

This time he seized the opportunity, and the three-pointer went in cleanly.

17 to 7!

With just over half a quarter played, the Pelicans had already taken a double-digit lead!

Stotts rubbed his forehead, his face full of anxiety.

The basis of the double-team was to gamble that Ariza couldn't make the shot. They had done this last season when Aminu was the Pelicans' starting small forward.

But now that Ariza could make the shot, there was a big problem.

Moreover, Ariza was different from Morrow. His defense was no worse than Matthews', and there wasn't an easy breakthrough point in the Pelicans' lineup on the court.

With just over nine minutes left in the first quarter, the score was 21 to 10.

Both sides began to make substitutions one after another.

The Pelicans kept Ariza and Holiday on the court, and gradually brought on Gordon, Aminu, and Jokic.

The Trail Blazers also made a large number of substitutions, with Thomas Robinson, Kaman, CJ McCollum, and Steve Blake being substituted into the game one after another.

McCollum came up and contributed a missed shot, and Jokic used his body to protect the defensive rebound.

Holiday dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to Jokic to run the offense.

Holiday's cut attracted the defense, and Gordon ran around Aminu's screen on the outside. Jokic made a cross-court pass.

Gordon caught the ball and shot a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

The three-pointer went through the net cleanly!

The Pelicans extended the lead to 14 points!

The results of Nash's arrival were showing. Gordon's stability on catch-and-shoot threes had obviously improved a lot compared to before.

McCollum used a Kaman screen to drive into the basket and score with a layup. Jokic's defensive movement was indeed a bit slow.

Back on the other end, Jokic continued to run the offense. This time he passed the ball to Holiday, who cut inside. After Holiday met the help defense, he passed it to Aminu.

Aminu caught the ball and quickly scored with a layup.

After watching these two possessions, Stotts felt his head was getting bigger.

The Pelicans' starters were already a headache enough, but who was this big, white, chubby guy who suddenly appeared?

This playmaking skill was so good at organizing the Pelicans' bench offense!

"He's the Pelicans' 27th pick this year."

The assistant coach next to him saw the worried look on Stotts' face and explained.

This guy is a rookie?!

But that's right, European rookies all have this characteristic. Those who can play are very strong immediately.

It seemed that the Pelicans had found a treasure in this year's draft.

They couldn't beat the starters, and their bench was also suppressed.

After the first half, the Trail Blazers were already trailing the Pelicans by a full 20 points, 35 to 55!

"I have to take back what I said before, they are championship contenders."

Drexler said very honestly after watching the first half.

This wasn't a matter of overreacting to one game, but the Pelicans' roster, from the starters to the bench, was too well-balanced.

Even the problem of the bench's offensive organization had been solved because of Jokic's arrival.

A team like the Pelicans, it wouldn't be appropriate not to categorize them as championship contenders.

Breen next to him didn't say anything, but he implicitly acknowledged what Drexler said. ESPN was going to be proven wrong this year!