Swish!
After Kai sank the free throw, the score between the two teams reached 11:4!
The Clippers continued to maintain their lead.
On the return possession, Ingles's mid-range jumper over Carmelo's defense missed.
Lopez firmly secured the rebound and passed the ball to Beverley.
Beverley dribbled up from the backcourt while Kai on the wing was subjected to tight defense from Mitchell.
However, the double screen from Carmelo and Jeff Green once again shattered Mitchell's hopes of defending Kai.
Seeing that Kai Chen was about to shoot another three, Mitchell fought around the screen and lunged toward him.
Even if it meant committing a foul, he wouldn't allow Kai to score again.
Slap!
Mitchell's lunging arm crisply slapped Kai's elbow.
Beep!
Immediately after, the main referee on the sideline blew his whistle.
"Mitchell fouled on the three-point attempt, but Kai Chen had already released the shot."
The commentator stared intently at the basketball flying through the air. "This shot… it's good!!"
"This is a 3+1!!"
"Even though Mitchell committed a foul, he still couldn't stop Kai Chen from scoring again!"
The moment he saw the ball fall through the net, Mitchell clasped his hands over his head and rushed toward the referee to argue.
Of course, it was clearly a foul, but Mitchell wanted the three-point attempt disallowed.
You can give him three free throws, but a 3+1 is absolutely not allowed!
"Challenge!"
Jazz head coach Snyder also requested a challenge from the sideline. He knew very well that if this shot counted again, the situation would become extremely unfavorable.
However, after repeated review, the main referee upheld the original ruling!
"Kai Chen's three-pointer counts, and he will get an additional free throw!"
The live commentator confirmed the referee's signal. "He'll step to the line with a chance to score four points!"
"If this free throw goes in, Kai Chen's total will reach 15 points!"
"The entire Clippers team is creating one-on-one opportunities for Kai Chen. This kind of core-focused strategy is something we rarely see."
At the same time, inside the Duke University basketball gym.
Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish, who had joined Duke that summer, were watching Kai Chen's game against the Jazz with Coach K.
As Kai completed the 3+1, RJ Barrett spoke first. "Kai Chen's offensive talent is just ridiculous. His style is a template for me. I want to surpass him!"
"If you want to become the next Kai Chen, then you need to put in ten times the effort on the practice court."
Coach K looked at Kai on the TV and said proudly, "Kai Chen's talent wasn't just natural. In college, he was always the last one to leave the gym."
"That's right. We should train hard and strive to be as good as him when we enter the NBA!"
"Kai Chen is the goal we're chasing!"
Zion Williamson and Reddish shouted from the side.
Swish!
Swish!
The camera cut back to Staples Center, where Mitchell on the court was completely bewildered by Kai Chen.
He had tried countless times to stop Kai through defense.
But the only result was watching Kai put the ball through the hoop again and again.
"I can't even remember how many shots Kai Chen has made. He's already scored 24 points by himself!"
"That's right. The entire first quarter has been a one-man show from Kai Chen!"
"Look at Donovan Mitchell's eyes. The Jazz are simply no match for the Clippers!"
Or rather, Mitchell simply wasn't on the same level as Kai.
The Clippers didn't run any complicated tactics. All they did was create isolation space for Kai.
When Kai started scoring nonstop, the Jazz consciously increased their help defense.
Kai wasn't obsessed with individual scoring either. When defenders abandoned their assignments to double-team him, he immediately kicked the ball out.
Whether it was Beverley or Carmelo on the perimeter, or Jeff Green and Lopez inside, they always received Kai's passes at the perfect moment and converted.
"Motherfucker!"
The completely one-sided situation infuriated Donovan Mitchell.
Even as a second-year player, he had never experienced such a suffocating game.
Last season, even against the Thunder's Big Three, he had played with confidence.
But Kai Chen could only respond: you just didn't meet me earlier.
Ultimately, the first quarter ended with the Clippers leading the Jazz 42:27, a 15-point advantage.
Kai Chen's performance of 24 points and 4 assists in a single quarter drew endless praise from the commentators.
Notably, among the many popular rookies from the 2018 class, only Kai Chen, Trae Young, and Ayton had managed to score 20 points in a game so far.
For most players, 20 points is a full night's work.
For Kai, it was just one quarter.
"The Jazz's defense is basically sleepwalking!"
"Especially their star, Donovan Mitchell, who's been completely outplayed by Kai Chen on both ends."
During the break, the commentators opened the box score and summarized the first quarter.
Kai Chen's 24 points and 4 assists were numbers many rookies couldn't reach in an entire game.
This also marked Kai Chen's third career game with 20+ points in a single quarter.
In other words, since the start of the season, Kai Chen had dropped 20+ in a quarter every game.
He officially became the first player in NBA history to score 20+ points in a single quarter for three consecutive games.
"The only way to stop Kai Chen at this point is probably limiting his minutes."
As the second quarter was about to begin, the sideline commentator said with some regret, "Unless something unexpected happens, this game is headed for another Clippers blowout."
"Yeah, the Jazz just can't contain Kai Chen defensively."
It wasn't only the commentators. Even the Jazz fans were getting restless.
"What the hell? Are the Jazz really this weak? How did Mitchell knock out the Thunder in the playoffs last year?"
"Can the Jazz show some fight? We didn't come here to watch this kind of game!"
"Mitchell is just an ATM in front of Kai Chen!"
Those voices made Mitchell even angrier.
Calling him an ATM?
Fuck, if you're so good, you come defend him yourself!
The game continued, and the point gap kept growing wider.
Jazz head coach Snyder was at a complete loss. He never imagined his team could be dismantled single-handedly by a rookie.
Watching Kai Chen sprint up and down the court, he fell into deep thought.
In the end, the game held no suspense.
Playing at home, the Clippers crushed the visiting Jazz 123:98 at Staples Center.
While handing their opponents a two-game losing streak, the Clippers secured their third straight win of the season.
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