No.1 in basketball scoring
Chapter 573 - 247.40+ is not enough, then add a little more! _3

Chapter 573: 247.40+ is not enough, then add a little more! _3

Harden couldn’t reverse his teammates’ declining morale and the overly tense atmosphere. As Zhang San had said, when strength was lacking, even the loudest shouts were actually quite soft.

But what frustrated him was that Durant was so exhausted, and yet Brooks still put Durant in the game. Having such a top-tier player as a decoy did make his attacks a bit easier... But did the coach have no other strategies than to throw in the star player whenever there was a problem?

Harden could only play desperately on the court!

With Durant attracting attention on the wing, Harden’s scoring and passing in the final quarter were quite good, facing a frontcourt lineup of Earl Clark, Jamison, and Jordan Hill from the opposition.

But the defense left Harden in despair...

During the halftime break, Bickerstaff made another predictive adjustment—Zhang Yang ran off-ball and cut to attract double teams, with Nash and Jamison setting screens for long shots, and Earl Clark and Jordan Hill provided cover on the wings and cut to the basket.

Seeing Zhang Yang speeding up back and forth without the ball and taking advantage of covers, Perkins and Sefolosha doubled up on the unguarded Zhang Yang. Jordan Hill cut in to receive Nash’s pass and, amid the chaos, dunked the ball into the basket over a flustered Ibaka, scoring a 2+1...

Harden: "Guys, what are you doing! Can’t you keep it cool!"

Harden knew what trade-offs to make and understood what was more important, but the other players might not have the same clarity... The Lakers played even better than the Thunder Team in the final quarter!

In half a quarter with a score of 19 to 15, the Lakers extended their lead to 7 points—118 to 111 over the Thunder Team—when there were 6 minutes and 26 seconds left and entering an official timeout.

A difference of 7 points, with still 5 and a half minutes left, the Thunder Team players certainly wouldn’t give up.

After a disarray in defense for half a quarter, they were also awakened by Brooks’ scolding during the official timeout, ready to fight hard in the final moments.

Durant, almost invisible for the past 11 minutes, moved little in the offense, the overwhelming feeling just barely fading; he couldn’t sprint, but could still manage to shoot a few.

On the other side, Bickerstaff sent Metta World Peace back into the game after resting for an entire quarter!

Gasol and Duhon also returned to the game, joining Jordan Hill in guarding the basket!

After the timeout, Thunder Team on the offense.

Durant holds the ball outside against Metta World Peace.

In the first half, when Durant was full of energy, this defensive matchup, in his eyes, was like chickens and dogs, easily defeated.

But now... He struggled past Metta World Peace to the elbow area, where Duhon stuck close to him!

Duhon didn’t care about anything else, just clung to Durant’s waist and legs to disrupt his jump.

Durant wanted to change direction into the three-second area, but Jordan Hill stepped in front of him first.

Durant pulled up and threw, relying on his height and reach advantage, he managed to release the ball, unblocked. However, the jump lacked power, falling short, a tribute to Los Angeles!

Zhang Yang blocked Harden who was rushing in and grabbed the defensive rebound, about to counterattack, but was held by Harden, who remembered that they had only committed one foul in the first half of the quarter, definitively using a tactical foul to stop Zhang Yang’s fast break.

The Lakers fell into a set offense, Zhang Yang continued to play one-on-one to initiate the offense, encountering a double team and passing back to Gasol positioned at the left top of the free-throw line.

This time, Sefolosha did not go to block Gasol but stayed close to Zhang Yang who had passed the ball and was moving to the outside, allowing Durant to return to the baseline to block Metta World Peace, since Gasol’s position and passing lanes to Metta World Peace were too good.

Gasol didn’t hesitate, made a decisive decision, stood and shot from the free-throw line... and scored!

to 111, Lakers extended their lead to 9 points!

With 5 and a half minutes left and trailing by 7 points, catching up didn’t seem too difficult; with a little more than 4 minutes left and trailing by 9 points... the young players on the Thunder Team became disorderly again!

Harden, who knew how to control the game, lacked the ability to do so, and Durant, despite his top player status, didn’t know how to calm things down. In the final minutes, the Thunder Team played in complete disarray.

Zhang Yang seized the opportunity and launched a counterattack, scoring a 2+1 layup on one, and drawing a foul on another, sinking both free throws. Earlier in the half, he had hit a three-pointer while using a screen, bringing his score for the last quarter to 8 points!

With 11 minutes and 20 seconds to go, the Lakers went on the offensive. As Duhon crossed half-court, he passed the ball to Zhang Yang. Gasol also spread out, showing no intention of receiving the ball. The whole team expected Zhang Yang to shoot... after all, with a score of 129 to 117, even if Zhang Yang missed, surely the other side couldn’t overcome a 12-point deficit in just over 30 seconds, could they?

The Thunder Team players also figured Zhang Yang would definitely shoot, and Sefolosha stuck to him tightly.

And Zhang Yang... indeed planned to shoot! He was exhausted tonight, even though Nash and Gasol were there to help, especially in the last minute; after all, his stamina was only top-tier, not historic.

But he mustered some energy, imitating the old blacksmith, nudging Sefolosha aside with his head, and raised his hand to shoot!

Sefolosha immediately pressed forward and jumped, but Zhang Yang sidestepped and burst forward!

Durant and Ibaka rushed towards him. Zhang Yang made a quick stop, jumped, and shot... the ball was swatted away by Ibaka, but!

Durant couldn’t stop in time and knocked Zhang Yang over!

The referee’s whistle blew, calling a shooting foul on Durant. Zhang Yang was awarded two free throws!

Boos filled the stadium, while the Lakers’ bench erupted in excitement!

In the last quarter, Zhang Yang took 6 shots and made 2, including making 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws, totaling 8 points.

Zhang Yang, helped up by his teammates, rubbed his sore buttocks and stepped up to the free-throw line. Amidst the crazy booing of the home fans, he steadied himself and made both free throws... the fans let out a painful groan as Zhang Yang’s second shot went in.

The point gap widened by two more points; the home fans were gradually coming to terms with it. They had been outplayed in the latter half of the quarter. They had already roared and despaired.

But now, they felt a double agony... with 27 attempts and 16 baskets, including 4 out of 6 three-pointers, and 12 of 13 from the free throw line, Zhang Yang had already scored 48 points before stepping up to the free throw line this time.

With those two free throws, Zhang Yang’s score climbed to 50 points!

In the Thunder Team’s last offense, Harden missed from beyond the three-point line, and Gasol secured the defensive rebound. The Lakers decided not to continue attacking.

At 11:24 PM, the final whistle blew.

Durant scored 33 points with 11 assists, shooting 10 out of 20, including 2 out of 5 three-pointers, and 11 of 13 from the free throw line.

Harden made 8 of 20 attempts, including 3 of 8 three-pointers, and 4 out of 5 free throws, totaling 23 points along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Unable to match Zhang Yang’s 50 points, Gasol added 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Nash scored 15 points with 6 assists!

to 117, the Lakers won against the Thunder Team by a 14-point margin!

Lakers’ players flooded the court, cheering wildly in celebration. They had won! They had really won!

Reporters forcefully squeezed into the crowd of Lakers players, competing to shove microphones in Zhang Yang’s face.

Zhang Yang was exhausted, but picture-perfect, standing tall, he stated, "Since everyone said that even if I score 40 points, it’s useless and we can’t win, I decided to try for 50 points. Thanks for the advice. I scored 50, and we won!"