Play resumed, and the Pelicans replaced Butler with Siakam.

Towns made a strong attack under the basket, drawing a defensive foul on Harrell.

He made one of two free throws.

In the next possession, Rose broke through and passed to Kuzma, who followed up with a layup to finally score.

The point difference reached 20!

Rose had delivered two consecutive assists in less than three minutes.

The former Fengcheng Rose had transformed into an organization master!

Tang Tian and Butler laughed particularly happily off the court.

On the one hand, it was because the bench players had directly widened the score gap, and they could clock out early in the second half.

On the other hand, it was also a matter of感慨 (gan kai, filled with emotions) that Rose, as a former MVP, could return to form with the Pelicans.

When there were 7 minutes left in the quarter, Stevens substituted Tang Tian and Butler back in, and also let Rose off the court to rest.

Rose had already scored 9 points and 3 assists, a very impressive performance.

Moreover, under his leadership, the Pelicans' bench rotation played exceptionally well, widening the point difference to more than 20.

When the starters returned, Tang Tian and Butler created havoc, and in the blink of an eye, the point difference widened to 30+.

The Timberwolves were young, and their enthusiasm was easily aroused.

But precisely because they were young, once the situation turned unfavorable and they fell into a headwind, they didn't know how to play.

Tang Tian and Butler only played for five minutes in the second half before they were taken out.

Basically, the entire second half became a time for the Pelicans to evaluate and train their bench players.

Rose continued his excellent form from the first half, and his performance was still eye-catching.

Stevens also gave him plenty of playing time.

Moreover, because Rose had recovered well from his injuries, there was no fear of playing for too long.

As the score widened, the fans became a little listless as they couldn't see Tang Tian on the court.

However, the only good news was that the defensive intensity was relatively low during garbage time, and LaVine, who had only dunked once in the first half, got a chance to perform.

He continuously performed gliding and alley-oop dunks in fast breaks, which could be considered as leaving a lingering thought for the fans.

Although they lost the game, the dunk contest was still worth looking forward to.

In the end, the score on the court was fixed at 113 to 80, and the Pelicans defeated the Timberwolves by a large margin, extending their winning streak to 12 games.

Tang Tian only played 17 minutes and got 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Butler had 11 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Rose got a team-high 21 points and 5 assists, a perfect regular-season debut.

The result of the game was not too surprising, but some of the things that happened during the game sparked a lot of discussion among fans after the game.

"Honestly, do you guys think Tang's dunk is a bit like Carter's? Especially that through-the-legs one, it's too similar!"

"You know, it really is a bit like it, just the wingspan is a bit shorter, but it's just as elegant, yes, that's the feeling!"

"Did Tang practice dunking during the offseason?"

"It's very possible! I heard that four players from the Pelicans trained for a whole summer last year!"

"But a whole summer is only two months! In such a short time, how did Tang manage to practice both ball-handling and dunking?"

"Is two months a short time? If it were me, I could practice singing, dancing, rap, and basketball!"

"Lawyer's letter warning!"

"Stop messing around, Tang's dunking foundation was already good, have you guys forgotten that he flew over five people to dunk in the dunk contest? He's the dunk king!"

"Yes, Tang didn't want to dunk before, but now he's preparing to fight in the dunk contest again, so of course he has to practice by playing!"

"But no matter what, I really like Tang's current dunking style, and I'm looking forward to the dunk contest infinitely!"

"It's a pity that the Timberwolves are too weak, they collapsed in the first half, and the second half wasn't satisfying to watch!"

"Speaking of the second half, Rose's performance really exceeded my expectations, you know, he hasn't played for almost half a season!"

"Rose is really too surprising, I think he has at least 70% of his peak strength!"

"There must be rewards for investment, the Pelicans let him recover from his injuries for half a season, this investment is a huge win!"

"And Rose's playing style has changed a lot, he plays smarter, and his organization is also quite good!"

"This is life, only after washing away the glitz and glamour will you know what kind of life is best for you!"

"Yes, you won't be able to understand that feeling at that age, without experiencing those things, that's the wonderful thing about life!"

"感慨 (gan kai, filled with emotions)! I hope Rose can seize the opportunity to secure his rotation spot, he really needs a championship too much!"

"Speaking of this, who's going to stop the Pelicans! They're already 52 wins and 1 loss!"

"Don't expect it before the All-Star Game, there are only five opponents left, the Magic, Lakers, Clippers, Suns, and Grizzlies, all of them are chickens."

"Playing the Magic next? This can be expected, Tang Tian will fight LaVine and then Gordon."

...

After finishing the game with the Timberwolves, the Pelicans will have back-to-back games after two days of rest, playing the Magic and the Lakers in succession.

The schedule is relatively tight, but because the opponents are of average strength, it's still acceptable to them.

However, because it was an away game, they flew directly to Orlando the next day.

It was also just after getting off the plane that Tang Tian received a message from Woj.

This was absolutely big news, especially for Tang Tian.

Mitchell injured his wrist in the game against the Grizzlies yesterday and announced that he would not participate in the rookie game and dunk contest.

Because there wasn't much time left before the All-Star Game, the league needed to react quickly.

Especially the dunk contest, the players need to prepare their dunking moves.

So in less than a day, the league found a replacement.

The Atlanta Hawks' John Collins will be a substitute for Mitchell in the rookie challenge.

And Vince Carter will be the substitute for the dunk contest!

Carter will be competing in the dunk contest again!

This is absolutely big news!

You know that Carter, as the man who saved NBA ratings in the past, has only participated in the dunk contest once in his previous career!

"This is a dunk contest not to be missed, my body can still handle it, I must join in the fun if I have the opportunity."

Carter also explained the reason for his substitute appearance in an interview.

Seeing Tang Tian, LaVine, and Gordon, these three perverted dunkers, he couldn't help but feel itchy.

Especially those dunks that Tang Tian made in the game against the Timberwolves, they were too familiar to him.

Just like he said, he had to join in the fun.

"I'm going to Los Angeles!"

Bojan saw the news a little later and shouted at the boarding gate.

After the other players found out one after another, they also said that they were going to Los Angeles.

Tang Tian, LaVine, Gordon, Carter.

Four dunk kings, and with Carter!

Even if it's old man Carter, this will definitely become the most classic dunk contest in NBA history, without exception!

Don't talk about other games, or whether you're selected for the All-Star Game, no one would want to miss such an opportunity!