That night, the Staples Center was packed with fans.

Even though it was nearing the end of the season, the fans' enthusiasm for watching the game hadn't diminished.

The Clippers players were eager for victory, and so were the fans in Los Angeles.

The Clippers' record was still unstable, with a possibility of finishing anywhere from fifth to eighth.

If they were to face the Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs, they would have a huge psychological advantage, and the same would be true for the division semifinals and finals.

Even if they didn't, being the only team to sweep the league's top team twice would be enough for them to brag about for a while.

Amid the cheers of the fans, the starting lineups for both sides were introduced in succession.

As Stevens had said before the game, Ariza was still in the starting lineup for the Pelicans.

For the Clippers, the guards were Beverly and Redick, the forwards were Pierce and Griffin, and the center was Jordan.

Davis won the jump ball against Jordan, raising the curtain on the game.

Jokic provided high post support, Tang Tian cut in to catch the ball and go for a layup, and Pierce on the weak side directly collapsed for a double-team.

Knowing that Ariza wasn't feeling it, the Clippers' double-team was very decisive.

Tang Tian made a beautiful no-look pass to Ariza.

Ariza caught the ball and shot a three-pointer.

"Clang!"

The three-pointer bounced off the rim.

Some things, like feel, can't necessarily be regained just by practicing more.

Rivers nodded approvingly on the sidelines.

If Stevens was being stubborn, then he would seize the opportunity to take down the Pelicans in one fell swoop!

"The Pelicans need to make a change."

Miller also spoke up from the commentary booth.

Ariza's touch really wasn't good, and that would be very damaging to the Pelicans' offense.

Breen next to him didn't speak, but he nodded in agreement.

Stevens was right to want to help Ariza find his form, but the whole team accompanying him to find it definitely wasn't the way to go.

In the Clippers' offense, Griffin organized from the high post, passing a bounce pass to Pierce who was cutting in.

Pierce went for a layup, but he was older, and his speed was much slower than in his prime.

Ariza chased him down and managed to contest the shot.

Pierce's layup slipped out of the hoop, and Jokic secured the defensive rebound.

Although his offense wasn't great, Ariza's role on the defensive end was obvious.

The Pelicans launched a fast break, but the Clippers retreated quickly, not giving them a chance.

Transitioning to a set offense, Tang Tian made a new tactical gesture with the ball.

Ariza didn't stay in the corner waiting, but cut along the baseline to draw the Clippers' interior defense.

At the same time, Davis set a pick-and-roll at the high post, and Tang Tian cut to the basket, passing the ball to Davis after being double-teamed.

Davis hit a mid-range jump shot, scoring the first points for the Pelicans.

Griffin drove to the basket but was blocked by Davis.

The Pelicans launched a fast break, Tang Tian dribbled the ball out of bounds in front of Beverly, passing the ball from behind to Ariza who was following up.

Ariza's layup scored his first two points of the game.

Stevens wanted Ariza to find his form in the game as soon as possible, and so did Tang Tian.

His understanding was consistent with Stevens', that a 3-and-D wing like Ariza was born for the playoffs.

So after seeing that Ariza wasn't feeling it, he made some adjustments to the tactical details.

This was what he, as a franchise player, could do.

Ariza himself was also eager to make a contribution. If he couldn't make shots, he would work harder on defense and run the fast break more aggressively.

Griffin made a flying dunk, finally scoring for the Clippers.

Tang Tian responded with a pull-up jumper.

In return, Griffin caught Pierce's pass and hit a mid-range jumper.

Being blocked on his first shot didn't affect his mentality; he was feeling good tonight.

4 to 6, the Clippers and Pelicans were stalemated at the start.

The Pelicans had a great play in the frontcourt. Jokic faked a shot with his left hand and passed to Tang Tian who was cutting in. Tang Tian saw Griffin helping and threw an alley-oop pass over his head.

Davis jumped up, slamming the ball into the basket over Griffin.

The crowd on the sidelines was riled up.

When Paul was around, the Clippers were known as Lob City. Now that Paul was gone, were they on the receiving end of an alley-oop?

The fans couldn't stand it, and neither could Griffin.

After getting to the frontcourt, he signaled to clear out the space and began to post up Davis.

Davis was tough, but Griffin was smart.

He made a fake spin move into a turnaround, using a small, unseen push with his left hand to create space from Davis, and then took off.

With Paul gone, he was the leader of the team.

If someone dunked on him, he had to dunk back.

The Shiba Inu's way of thinking was that simple.

And he was about to do it.

"Bang!"

But just as he was about to dunk, he felt something light in his hand.

Ariza had collapsed to the basket at some point, seizing the opportunity to swat the ball out of his hand!

It was so sudden that he had no way to recover the ball in mid-air.

After controlling the ball, Ariza immediately passed it to Tang Tian. The Pelicans launched a fast break. This time, Tang Tian went straight in, squeezing past Beverly and completing a dunk for an and-one!

Tang Tian made the free throw amid boos.

9 to 4.

This possession was key.

Stevens nodded in satisfaction.

He wasn't so concerned with how many shots Ariza made; he was focused on the defense.

In the previous two games, Ariza hadn't just lost his touch on offense; his defense had also been off.

But now it seemed he had found it again.

Practicing more might not necessarily bring back the feel, but it could definitely improve one's condition!

Ariza had played 8 minutes in this quarter, taking 3 shots, 2 from the three-point line and 1 fast break, making 1 of 3, for only 2 points.

But he also contributed 2 steals and 1 block, limiting Pierce on the other end to zero points.

His condition also had a positive effect on the Pelicans' situation on the court. By the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans were leading the Clippers 31 to 22.

This performance also made Stevens continue to trust him, putting him and Davis on the court together at the start of the second quarter.

This was to seize the opportunity to further expand their lead.

Rivers Jr.'s first three-point attempt after coming on missed, McGee secured the defensive rebound and passed it to Dinwiddie, and the Pelicans launched a fast break.

Dinwiddie saw Ariza following up on the fast break and threw a pass directly to him.

Ariza caught the ball and shot a three-pointer in transition.

"Swish!"

He hadn't capitalized on his first two outside three-point opportunities, but he had capitalized on the third!

This was also his first three-pointer since his return!

This basket made him a little excited, and he waved his hand and roared for a while after the basket.

Rivers Jr. retreated slowly, frowning when he saw Ariza's celebration.

The Twitter spat with Ariza had made him feel very suppressed.

In the Clippers' frontcourt set offense, Rivers Jr. used Johnson's pick to drive to the basket.

Ariza switched on this possession and stayed right with him, grabbing the ball when Rivers Jr. was about to drive for a layup.

This was a very decisive and wise choice.

Rivers Jr. couldn't get up, and he and Ariza both held the ball tightly.

The referee quickly blew his whistle, indicating a jump ball.

The referee had already blown his whistle, but Rivers Jr. seemed very unhappy, throwing the ball hard after releasing it, and continuing to nag at Ariza.

The referee saw this and was about to blow a warning, when the usually calm Ariza suddenly exploded, shoving Rivers Jr. hard, and then throwing a punch the next second!