"Today's game might once again turn into a one-sided slaughter by the Clippers!"
On the sidelines, Barkley on the TNT commentary desk sighed.
"Perhaps no one expected that the Clippers, who were not favored at the beginning of the season, would play so perfectly this year."
"And all of this is because of Jerry West's trade!"
Kai Chen's unstoppable scoring performance prompted "Kai Chen fan" Smith to continue praising him.
"Before the draft, I told you that Kai Chen would be the next Michael Jordan, the next Kobe Bryant!"
"But many fans didn't believe me. They all thought I was just hyping Kai Chen!"
"And now, let's turn our attention to Kai on the court and see what he has done!"
It must be said, Smith knows how to boast, never forgetting to mention himself while praising Kai Chen.
That's very Smith.
The course of the game unfolded just as Barkley predicted.
The Mavericks looked full of talent, but in reality, they still had a long way to go.
Luka is undeniably strong.
But for the rest, whether Barnes, Matthews, Smith, or Jordan, beyond catching and finishing, it was difficult for them to create offense on their own.
After the first quarter, apart from a few brilliant isolation plays by Luka, the Mavericks were completely dominated by the Clippers.
The Clippers led 36-24 at the American Airlines Center, a 12-point advantage.
Kai Chen once again scored 24 points in a single quarter, matching the entire Mavericks team by himself.
"Kai's really good."
During the quarter break, Luka took the water handed to him by Brunson.
"Jalen, when you played Duke in the finals, was he this strong?"
Brunson glanced toward Kai Chen on the Clippers bench and nodded helplessly.
"Yeah, that game was decided by him alone in just half a game."
Hearing Brunson's words, Luka's eyes burned with fighting spirit once again.
Although Luka's performance in the first quarter had been completely overshadowed by Kai Chen, the European prodigy showed no discouragement.
The stronger the opponent, the more his blood surged.
The break quickly ended, and both teams' substitute lineups entered the court.
The Mavericks' bench strength was not particularly strong, which partly explained their struggles this season.
Head coach Rick Carlisle could only watch as the deficit widened.
As a renowned offensive coach, without sufficient firepower, it was difficult for him to display his system.
Watching the bench dig a deeper hole, his gaze involuntarily fell on Luka.
"Beep!"
During a dead-ball, Carlisle waved his hand and brought Luka back a few minutes early.
Out of the timeout, Luka dribbled from the backcourt to the frontcourt.
At the top of the arc, he used Powell's screen to shake Lou Williams, stepped sideways, and fired a three.
"Swish!"
The basketball traced a perfect arc before dropping cleanly through the net.
48-33, the difference was still 15 points.
Back on defense, the Mavericks, led by Luka, raised their intensity. Harrell's inside attempt missed.
Powell secured the rebound and pushed it ahead to Luka.
The Mavericks counterattacked.
Luka drove hard into the paint, drawing two defenders.
In mid-air, he kicked the ball to Matthews, wide open at the left three-point line.
"Swish!"
Matthews calmly knocked down the three.
48-36!
The deficit was cut to 12.
Although the Clippers answered with two points from Lou Williams, Luka erupted again, scoring five straight.
He led the Mavericks on an 11-2 run, changing the score to 50-41!
The lead shrank to single digits.
"Beat LA!!"
"Beat LA!!"
"Beat LA!!"
As the gap narrowed, fans at the American Airlines Center rose to their feet, chanting the slogan.
"Did I hear that right? The fans are chanting Beat LA!?"
Smith sounded genuinely surprised.
"This might be the first time the Clippers have heard that chant from a home crowd on the road!"
"That's right," Barkley nodded.
"Before this, the Lakers were always the owners of that slogan."
"I'd love to see what O'Neal would think if he were sitting here today."
Just as the commentators noted, the team long associated with representing Los Angeles had always been the Lakers.
But at this moment, in Dallas, the Clippers were the ones hearing Beat LA.
The gears of fate had begun to turn.
After the timeout, Kai Chen re-entered the game.
On his first possession back, he blew past Barnes for an unreasonable pull-up jumper.
One explosive step. Barnes had no answer.
On the next play, Kai Chen used Lopez's screen at the top of the arc, drove into the paint, and lofted a floater over Jordan's outstretched arms.
54-41!
The lead instantly returned to double digits.
Offense and defense switched.
Luka held the ball at the top of the arc.
This time, no hesitation.
A deep three.
"Swish!"
The basketball dropped through with a high arc.
"Luka!!"
"Luka!!"
"Luka!!"
The American Airlines Center erupted once again.
Only Luka could respond to Kai.
If the Mavericks wanted to win and end the Clippers' eight-game winning streak, their hopes rested entirely on Luka.
Clippers possession.
Beverley dribbled into the frontcourt and exchanged a glance with Kai Chen.
He swung the ball to Lopez at the top of the arc.
On the wing, Kai suddenly cut backdoor, shaking Barnes completely, and darted into the paint.
Lopez delivered a perfectly timed bounce pass.
The Mavericks' interior opened like a runway.
Jordan rushed back desperately.
But the gap between them was undeniable.
Kai soared into the paint for a thunderous dunk.
"Fuck!"
The momentum inside the American Airlines Center visibly dipped.
On the next possession, as Luka crossed half-court, the defender standing in front of him had changed.
Kai Chen.
The two generational talents of the 2018 draft faced off for the first time in their NBA careers.
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