Chapter 355 The Wizard

Harden looked up, taking a long breath when he saw the stats.

The outcome was still undecided, but Tang Tian had taken another step ahead of him on the road to MVP.

What a freaking night.

After the timeout, the Rockets ran a set play.

Bosh and Harden ran a pick-and-roll, and Bosh cut to the basket after receiving a pass from Harden, drawing a holding foul on Ariza and getting two free throws.

He made both free throws steadily, bringing his personal score to 20 points and helping the Rockets narrow the score to 7 points.

On the Pelicans' offense, Tang Tian continued to run off-ball.

Although he didn't make the first shot against Harden earlier, it was more about luck.

The Rockets didn't seem to be targeting him playing Harden, so in his opinion, it was a breakthrough point.

He called for Ariza's off-ball screen, matched up against Harden, and then asked for the ball.

The Rockets responded the same as before, with Bosh coming out from the inside to help defend.

Tang Tian accelerated and shifted to the left to get rid of Harden, pulling up for a mid-range jumper.

Harden couldn't react at all, and Bosh's help defense couldn't catch up either.

"Swish!"

This time Tang Tian seized the opportunity, his contested jumper going in cleanly.

The point difference was back to 7 points!

Including these 2 points, Tang Tian had scored 9 consecutive points in the fourth quarter!

With Davis out, he had once again started a personal scoring burst at the critical moment.

On the Rockets' offense, everyone else spread out, and Harden isolated Ariza, driving to the basket after a crossover.

Ariza wasn't completely shaken off, and his long arm provided interference after jumping up.

Harden wanted to draw a foul but failed, and the shot bounced off the rim.

Whiteside grabbed the defensive rebound.

There was a commotion in the arena.

Including the previous play where he tried to bait a foul, Harden had missed 3 consecutive shots.

Back on offense, Tang Tian continued to look for Harden.

Harden stuck to him this time, but Tang Tian blew past him with a quick acceleration.

Tang Tian drove into the paint and drew a shooting foul on Bosh after a collision.

Bosh's strength wasn't great, and with a little more luck, it would have been an and-one.

He made both free throws amidst boos, Tang Tian had scored 11 consecutive points!

A 9-point lead!

At this moment, the biggest difference between Tang Tian and Harden, and between the Rockets and the Pelicans, was evident.

Harden's scoring consistency wasn't as reliable as in his prime, and whether the shots went in largely depended on luck. However, Tang Tian had always been strong in this aspect and had improved season after season.

Harden's defense was his biggest problem, making him easily targeted at critical moments, but Tang Tian started with defense, and once his offense improved, he became an all-around player with no weaknesses.

The Rockets had always lacked good wing defenders, but the Pelicans had filled this gap after signing Ariza, and his defensive contributions were evident in the previous possessions.

The Rockets' strength had improved significantly this season, allowing them to contend with the Pelicans until the end, but these disadvantages gradually caused them to fall behind.

It wasn't until a minute before the end of the game that Harden found his touch and made two consecutive three-pointers, but it was too late.

In the end, the Pelicans defeated the Rockets 115-107 on the road, securing the victory in this Christmas game.

Harden had 38 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Bosh had 22 points and 7 rebounds, but it was all in vain.

On the Pelicans' side, Whiteside continued his hot streak, getting 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. Ariza and Holiday each had 15 points, and Jokic had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Tang Tian scored 13 points in the fourth quarter alone, shooting 14 of 25 from the field, and recording a triple-double of 38 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

After the game, fans discussed it endlessly on social media.

First, there was Kobe battling Wade, and now there was Tang Tian versus Harden. The league always had new talent emerging among shooting guards.

Tang Tian's first career triple-double became the absolute focus.

Tang Tian was the same as before, attributing the credit to his teammates, whether in the sideline interview or the post-match press conference.

And this time, it was even more convincing. Without Whiteside and Ariza's positioning, without the high finishing rate of his teammates, he wouldn't have been able to get this triple-double.

After the press conference, Tang Tian greeted his teammates, didn't stay to celebrate, and caught the last flight back to New Orleans.

Today was Christmas, and winning the game and getting a triple-double was exciting, but he still wanted to go back and spend this important holiday with Olsen.

The plane was delayed by half an hour, and it was almost 12 o'clock at night when he returned to his villa in New Orleans.

Except for the light at the front door on the first floor, everything else was dark.

It was late, and Olsen should have gone to bed.

Tang Tian opened the door and went in, feeling a little guilty.

They didn't spend Christmas Eve together, and he missed Christmas Day as well.

The next time the team had a road Christmas game, he'd better take Olsen with him.

Tang Tian turned on the light on the stairs and tiptoed up to the second floor.

He opened the door and was stunned by what he saw.

Although it looked dark outside, it was because the blackout curtains were drawn.

The room was dimly lit, but there was a golden blanket on the bed, and a soft green lamp on the bedside table.

The whole room had a magical ambiance.

Olsen was wearing a gray mage robe, holding a magic wand with a silver-white light on top.

If he didn't know he was in his own home, he would have thought he had traveled to a magical world.

"Darling."

Olsen leaned against the bed, looking at Tang Tian, her eyes sending a flirtatious glance.

Olsen seemed to really like playing cosplay.

When she was filming *The Martian*, she decorated the hotel room with a Martian interstellar theme and even put on a spacesuit.

This time, while filming *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, she directly started with a magical theme.

This scene looked very exciting.

Tang Tian suddenly felt that letting Olsen make movies might not be a bad thing.

"Do you want to have a female magician?"

Olsen gently opened her mage robe while speaking, revealing her long legs underneath.

It had to be said that compared to the interstellar theme, this magical theme really suited Olsen better.

Mysterious, dignified, and with a touch of wildness.

Tang Tian closed the door and walked straight towards Olsen.

Pulling Olsen into his arms, he could feel her breathing up close.

"Do you know? The crew wanted to add kissing scenes during filming, but I refused. Except for you, I won't kiss anyone else."

Olsen's breath was warm as she spoke, and she felt as soft as a sponge.

Tang Tian nodded, leaning down.

"But I can become a female magician, to be possessed by you, darling, possess me."

After Olsen finished speaking, she passionately kissed Tang Tian.

The two quickly got into the mood.

...