The Nuggets stayed alive by relying on their red-hot shooting.
The Lakers, on the other hand, clung tightly to the score behind Ogawa Tetsuya's overwhelmingly dominant performance on both ends of the floor.
Halftime.
58 : 60!
By the break, Ogawa Tetsuya had already piled up
26 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals!
The second half began.
CLANG!
CLANG!
...
Denver's three-point shots started smashing off the rim one after another.
The shooting touch they had maintained for an entire half suddenly vanished.
Worse still
They had no answer for Ogawa Tetsuya.
Jokić, the so-called walking slab of pork, was completely lost on defense.
He couldn't guard Ogawa Tetsuya in the paint—
and when the roles reversed, he was bullied just as badly.
With four fouls early, Jokić could only sit on the bench, shaking his head in frustration.
9:47 remaining in the third quarter.
72 : 65.
The Lakers had taken a seven-point lead.
Terrified of Ogawa Tetsuya's presence in the paint, the Nuggets stubbornly kept settling for outside shots.
Even Millsap, a compact power forward, avoided the lane entirely—floating out beyond the arc to shoot.
CLANG!
Ogawa Tetsuya exploded upward, initiating mid-air contact, knocking aside the skinny Plumlee like a scarecrow and ripping down the rebound.
After flipping the ball to Lonzo Ball, Ogawa Tetsuya took off—
Like a wild stallion breaking free of its reins.
Ball arrived.
Man arrived.
Ogawa Tetsuya caught it and completely ignored Jamal Murray rushing in to stop him.
One step inside
A savage one-handed tomahawk slam.
BOOM!
WEEEE! WEEEE! WEEEE!
The baseline referee's whistle screamed.
The basket counted.
And-one.
74 : 65.
The arena's giant screen instantly replayed the dunk from multiple angles.
It was obvious now.
After Murray instinctively dodged aside, he hooked both arms over Ogawa Tetsuya's shoulders, trying to drag him down.
Moments earlier, Murray had already been brutalized by Ogawa Tetsuya's bulldozer-style offense.
When Ogawa Tetsuya charged at him again—like a tiger descending the mountain
Murray panicked and retreated.
He had no desire to relive the nightmare of being sent flying by that beast.
"WOW—can someone tell me just how strong Tetsuya really is?!"
"Poor Murray tried everything—he even hung both arms on Tetsuya's shoulders—and still couldn't stop the dunk!"
"Ogawa Tetsuya's style completely overturns my perception of Japanese big men like Yao from China, who were known for finesse and skill!"
"We've only seen this kind of grab, pull, and still-can't-stop-him dominance from Shaq and LeBron!"
"..."
The crowd went insane.
Fans rose to their feet, applauding wildly.
They had expected a low-intensity preseason game that would put them to sleep
Instead, the newly signed giant delivered a jaw-dropping surprise.
When Ogawa Tetsuya signed a one-year, $15 million contract, many Lakers fans were shocked—and skeptical.
Some arrogant, biased fans even flooded the Lakers' official Twitter with insults.
Now.
Ogawa Tetsuya had beaten the doubt out of them with relentless, dominant performances.
The game continued.
Ogawa Tetsuya calmly knocked down the free throw.
75 : 65.
From trailing by as many as 15 points, the Lakers now led by 10.
Without the heavyweight Jokić orchestrating the offense or protecting the rim, Denver could only keep firing from the perimeter.
But their shooting had gone ice-cold.
All that remained
Was the sound of iron.
Ogawa Tetsuya's dominance ignited his teammates as well.
Ingram and the others grew sharper with every possession.
The game quickly turned one-sided.
2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
93 : 71.
Because this was a preseason game focused on lineup chemistry, both teams sent in their full bench units.
The result was no longer in doubt.
Ogawa Tetsuya checked out after 29 minutes, his final stat line frozen at:
37 points
18 rebounds
6 blocks
3 steals
"Charles, I'm sorry—but you were wrong again,"
Shaq laughed, turning toward Barkley.
"Ogawa Tetsuya led the Lakers to a massive comeback victory. He actually did it."
The Big Shark grinned mischievously.
"You should be glad you didn't bet with me—otherwise you'd be enjoying another round of donkey-ass kissing!"
"My brothers from Japan have never let me down—whether it was Yao, or now Tetsuya!"
Barkley could only respond with an awkward chuckle.
The Lakers—widely dismissed before the season—unexpectedly opened the preseason with two straight wins.
Both victories were blowouts, each by more than 20 points.
Lonzo Ball and Ingram, the most media-hyped players of the offseason, were merely average.
They were not the deciding factors.
Ogawa Tetsuya was.
Across two games, playing only 26 minutes per night, he averaged:
33 points
17.5 rebounds
6.5 blocks
2.5 steals
Pure insanity.
Especially in the second game
when the Lakers trailed by 15, Ogawa Tetsuya crushed Denver's interior on both ends, single-handedly dictating the final outcome.
Even against All-Star centers like Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokić, Ogawa Tetsuya completely suppressed them.
From now on.
No team would dare underestimate this colossal interior monster from Japan.
More and more NBA superstars began paying attention to Ogawa Tetsuya's blazing preseason rise.
Aside from a few haters and sore losers stubbornly barking about how "no one was trying"
Most Lakers fans, both overseas and in Japan, erupted in cheers.
Ogawa Tetsuya had exploded onto the scene.