Chapter 4 Opening of the Fourth Quarter

At the start of the fourth quarter, both sides had their starters mixed with substitutes.

The Clippers were led by DeAndre Jordan, while the Pelicans were led by Jrue Holiday.

In the playoffs, both sides were compressing their rotation lineups.

Rivers' pep talk once again showed its effect as Crawford hit consecutive mid- and long-range shots, helping the Clippers directly tie the score.

Williams turned around and called Tang Tian and Davis over.

He couldn't be careless in this kind of game.

Seeing Tang Tian and Davis walk towards the scorer's table, Rivers reacted quickly and called Paul and Griffin over as well.

His reaction speed was in stark contrast to that of his predecessor, coach Del Negro.

Crawford's layup drew a reach-in foul on Gordon, earning him two free throws.

Substitutions were made one after another on the sidelines.

Crawford made both free throws, and the Clippers took a 74-73 lead over the Pelicans by 1 point.

Rivers nodded in satisfaction.

His pep talk was truly worth its weight in gold.

The emotions of the fans at the scene were also reignited.

This was the first lead the Clippers had taken since their 5-0 lead at the start.

It was really not easy to finally turn the score around after three quarters.

Moreover, with the score turned around, the Clippers' momentum was at its peak, and it was a matter of course to win the game!

In the Pelicans' offense, the Clippers were at their peak, and the defensive pressure they put on was also very high.

Davis took the initiative to set a pick-and-roll for Tang Tian at this time.

Davis was in good shape tonight, and the Clippers didn't double, opting to switch.

After the switch, Tang Tian accelerated towards the basket.

Barnes chased from behind at this time, forming a double-team with Griffin.

Because Gordon was outside, they didn't dare to double-team at will, but it wouldn't be so easy for Tang Tian to shoot again once he entered the inside.

Tang Tian's shooting angle was blocked, and he flicked the ball back to Davis.

Davis caught the ball and went straight for a mid-range jump shot from the free throw line.

Evans was entangled with Jordan in the basket.

Jordan was boxing out well, and if this shot didn't go in, he would most likely protect the rebound.

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, Davis' mid-range shot went straight through the net.

75-74!

The Pelicans took the lead again!

The situation on the court entered a fever pitch at this time.

Paul's mid-range shot was interfered with by Holiday and missed, and Evans secured the defensive rebound.

When they attacked the frontcourt, Tang Tian and Davis played the same coordination.

And after he broke through to the inside, Barnes still chose to double-team.

It seemed that the Clippers thought Davis' previous goal was just an accident.

Tang Tian threw the ball back to Davis again.

Crawford on the weak side came to help defend, but Davis was too much taller than him, and his interference was almost non-existent after the ball was released.

"Swish!"

Another crisp sound, Davis hit consecutive mid-range shots!

He was in good shape tonight, and his shooting feel was online!

Tang Tian turned around and slapped hands with Davis.

Williams also clenched his fists excitedly on the sidelines.

These consecutive two mid-range shots were of great tactical significance.

If there was another such opportunity, the Clippers would definitely not dare to double-team Tang Tian at will.

In the Clippers' frontcourt offense, Griffin and Paul had a pick-and-roll at the free-throw line. After the pick, he received a pass from Paul and flew over Evans for a slam dunk.

Evans stood very firmly in the basket this time, and Griffin's flying dunk seemed to hit a wall, and the ball flew directly away.

Griffin's performance was greatly reduced when playing against the Grizzlies. The interior of the black and white twins was like a Wuzhi Mountain pressing on him.

Evans' level was definitely not as high as the black and white twins, but that weight and confrontation was also a small mountain peak, and it was not easy for Griffin to dunk so head-on.

Davis turned around and grabbed the defensive rebound.

The Pelicans launched a counterattack, with Tang Tian and Gordon in a two-on-one in the frontcourt.

Tang Tian saw Paul's small movements, went straight for a tough confrontation, and then scored the ball.

Paul almost broke his finger, shook his hand in pain, and suffered a dumb loss.

Rivers reached out and called a timeout.

In this period, the Pelicans had consecutive successful defenses, launching a 6-0 run and widening the point difference to 5 points again.

The situation was becoming serious again for the Clippers.

"Success rate, play with success rate!"

During the timeout, Rivers repeated loudly to his players.

The Pelicans were obviously a young team, but they played so stubbornly. Rivers was surprised, but also a little anxious.

This was also a normal reaction. You should know that before the game, Rivers didn't think the game would be so difficult.

Moreover, in the fourth quarter, he thought the game had turned around, but the result was still contrary to his wishes.

When the timeout returned, both sides made substitutions one after another. Whiteside and Morrow were substituted for the Pelicans, and Redick was also substituted back for the Clippers.

Griffin attacked Davis strongly under the basket, and his shot after turning around was blocked by Whiteside's help defense.

Although the Pelicans' combination was young, the effect of their combined blocking ability was really good.

Paul's mid-range shot missed, and Whiteside secured the defensive rebound.

The fans on the sidelines were already restless. The Clippers had fallen into another scoring drought, and the timeout was not working!

Rivers held his head in his hands, his eyes full of helplessness.

The Pelicans attacked the frontcourt, Tang Tian and Davis played a pick-and-roll again, and after the pick, Tang Tian continued to carry the explosive package and break through to the basket.

He didn't take many shots in the first three quarters of this game, and he still had plenty of stamina at this time.

Davis had hit two consecutive goals before, and they didn't dare to double-team at this time.

Tang Tian rushed into the inside and shot after an aerial confrontation with Griffin.

Griffin's short hand didn't reach the ball, and hit Tang Tian's hand.

Tang Tian earned two free throw opportunities.

He made both free throws under the boos, and the Pelicans' lead had reached 7 points!

The Clippers hadn't scored for nearly three minutes.

"Come on! Clippers!"

The on-site DJ led the fans to cheer for the Clippers.

Now there were less than 5 minutes left in the game, and the Clippers would have no chance if they didn't get back on track.

In the Clippers' frontcourt tactical play, Redick received the ball and was forced to stop by Tang Tian's switch defense.

Paul came over to接球 (catch the ball).

"Pa!"

But at the moment Redick released the ball, Tang Tian grabbed the ball!

There was an uproar at the scene.

This steal was like stabbing them in the chest!

And what was even worse was that Tang Tian was pulled from behind by Paul during a fast break.

The referee called Paul for an unsportsmanlike foul.

Paul looked up at the timer and shook his head helplessly.

He was also a little anxious because he hadn't scored for a long time.

This unsportsmanlike foul also caused the Clippers' last breath to vent.

In the remaining few minutes, they were unable to put on a performance that would close the score.

The Pelicans relied on a wave of offensive in the middle of the fourth quarter to finally defeat the Clippers on the road with a score of 93-83.

With this game, the Pelicans also snatched the home-court advantage in the series from the Clippers.

Tang Tian contributed 28 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, and Davis contributed 30 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.

The two played like a twin star in their playoff debut.