Durant scored 4 consecutive points to help the Pelicans tie the score, but James broke through and passed the ball behind his head to Middleton.

Middleton hit a wide-open three-pointer.

This ball could be one of James' all-time top ten passes, showing that he's really back in form.

Durant's contested pull-up jumper after a drive didn't fall.

He really didn't have his touch in this game, and Curry's shooting package clearly wasn't given to him.

Fortunately, Davis was strong inside, soaring high to grab the offensive rebound, and scored on a put-back.

James' drive on the other end didn't go in either.

Durant then received a pass from Holiday, faked a shot to draw a double team, and passed to Davis, who drove in and drew a foul on Randle.

Although his touch wasn't there, as Curry saw, Durant's playing style now is different from his time with the Warriors and Lakers.

In addition to shooting, he's doing a good job of driving and passing, and the switch between the three is also well done.

If you had to say, it's an enhanced version of his Thunder days, a true Grim Reaper Durant.

The Pelicans showed from the start what Tang Tian had said in front of reporters, that they would never strategically give up in this game.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 27 to 23, with the Lakers leading.

In the second quarter, Vogel made tactical adjustments, changing the defensive strategy against Durant from all-around defense to allowing shots appropriately.

Durant's touch still hadn't returned, which also affected the Pelicans' offense.

At the end of the half, the score became 57 to 47, and the Lakers extended their lead to double digits.

"Do you want to go to the locker room?"

Curry turned to look at Tang Tian at this time.

The Pelicans played very well and worked hard, but they were still 10 points behind, and Tang Tian might need to do something.

Tang Tian shook his head.

"They'll make adjustments."

He looked towards the court as he spoke.

During the halftime break, the players from both teams returned to the locker room one after another, but Durant stayed behind to practice shooting after talking with Stevens for a while.

Originally, there was going to be an activity on the spot to win $20,000 for making a shot from center court, but after communicating with Durant to no avail, it had to be changed to a half-court three-point contest.

Curry followed Tang Tian's gaze and couldn't help but laugh after seeing it.

Durant is a bit strong.

On one side of the court, Durant found a ball boy to practice shooting, and on the other side, a halftime three-point contest was taking place.

The host's noisy shouts and spotlights attracted the attention of most of the fans.

But Tang Tian and Curry's eyes were always on Durant.

They watched Durant slowly get his touch back.

For superstars, their muscle memory has made them almost like machines.

What Durant is doing now is like making corrections, bringing back the muscle memory.

This method is very effective, but generally speaking, no one would do this during halftime, after all, rest and adjustment are more important.

But Durant probably felt that his poor shooting affected the game, so he did it very straightforwardly.

He kept practicing until the two teams returned to the court one after another, and then he sat on the sidelines to rest.

Stevens went over and talked to him a few more words, probably asking about his physical condition.

Durant nodded constantly.

Early on, and even in the middle, Tang Tian had made him run until he was sick several times, but at the same time, his physical fitness had also improved a lot.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The things that embarrassed him before have now benefited him.

The Lakers attacked first in the second half, and James' pull-up fadeaway shot went in.

He had an off game last game, but this game he's back to being as stable as a robot.

Leaving aside the physical problems, the current James is the strongest version in all aspects.

But in the next round, Durant received a pass from Holiday and hit a three-pointer, immediately answering back!

James assisted Randle's mid-range shot also went in.

Durant's turnaround jumper also went in! And it caused a foul on Randle, 2+1!

His touch is back!

Vogel rubbed his forehead hard.

Durant regaining his touch is definitely not a good sign for the Lakers.

Durant made the free throw, and the point difference was narrowed to 8 points.

Vogel reached out and made a tactical gesture, the Lakers should have adjusted their defense.

Horford's low post shot didn't go in, and on the other end, Middleton guarded Durant very closely, obviously preventing him from shooting.

Durant received the ball with his back to the basket, turned around with a triple threat, faked a shot to get Middleton off his feet, drove to the basket and drew a foul on Horford, making both free throws.

After getting his touch back, he played more proactively and aggressively than in the first half.

"Tang, I think he's becoming more and more like you."

After watching a few rounds, Curry turned to look at Tang Tian.

"People are influenced by their surroundings. Staying with me for a long time will make you better at playing basketball. How about it, do you want to try it?"

The Pelicans started to chase points, Tang Tian was in a good mood, and joked with Curry.

Curry waved his hand immediately, he still preferred to play for the Warriors.

Tang Tian didn't care, everyone has different personalities. Being able to see defecting to the enemy as nothing like Durant is probably unique in the league.

While the two were talking, Durant made another beautiful reverse layup, it was all coming together.

Durant was in great shape, and the Pelicans continued to close the gap.

At the end of the third quarter, the Pelicans had tied the score.

In the last quarter, the two sides played extremely fiercely, with bodies flying and frequent whistles.

Less than half of this quarter was played, and the cumulative fouls of the two teams had already reached five.

Moreover, the further the game went, the lower the scoring efficiency of the two teams became.

This is a natural thing, the physical exertion brought about by the confrontation greatly affects the shooting percentage.

The two sides are like in a war, switching from gunfights to hand-to-hand combat.

The game came to the last minute in the blink of an eye.

James's layup missed, and Davis grabbed the defensive rebound.

On the other end, Durant's three-point attempt also failed, but Davis grabbed another rebound and scored on a put-back, giving the Pelicans a crucial two-point lead.

The Lakers called a timeout, and when they came back, James showed his big heart and hit a three-pointer from the outside, helping the Lakers to retake the lead.

With 20 seconds left, the Pelicans called a timeout.

When they came back, Stevens arranged for Durant to shoot, Durant's jumper at the critical moment...still missed!

Obviously, without resting at halftime, Durant's physical exertion here was much greater than James.

But it was still Davis who, unable to grab the rebound, used his arm to slap the ball back to Durant.

Durant got the ball again and shot a jumper almost at the buzzer.

"Swish!"

This time he finally seized the opportunity and hit the game-winning shot directly!

101 to 100, the Pelicans narrowly defeated the Lakers by 1 point, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a score of 4 to 2!

Durant did what Tang Tian said, he finally defeated James and changed his destiny!