Russell drove past AJ Green on the left, bounced it directly to Rui Hachimura, who was cutting to the basket. Rui Hachimura went one-on-one against Antetokounmpo, faded and hit a mid-range jumper. The ball swished through the net. 20-36, the Lakers narrowed the gap to 16 points.
Antetokounmpo brought the ball across half-court, got the ball at the top of the arc, and organized the offense. Facing Rui Hachimura's defense, he passed to Portis on the right wing for a three-pointer. Portis ignored Hayes' defense and shot a three-pointer. The ball went in cleanly. 20-39, the score difference returned to 19 points.
Russell continued to dribble past mid-court, Hayes came up to set a screen, and Russell drove left. After drawing a double-team, he passed cross-court to Prince on the right. Prince caught the ball and shot a three-pointer without hesitation, answering with a three of his own.
Antetokounmpo quickly brought the ball across half-court, drove right, and passed to Portis at the top of the arc. Portis caught the ball and shot a three-pointer. The ball brushed the rim and bounced out. Christie secured the rebound.
Russell positioned himself on the perimeter to organize. Facing AJ Green's defense again, he drove left, moved laterally, and passed to Rui Hachimura at the high post. Rui Hachimura took one dribble, stopped on a dime, and shot a mid-range jumper. He missed, and Connaughton grabbed the rebound.
Connaughton brought the ball across half-court and quickly passed it to Antetokounmpo at the high post. Antetokounmpo caught the ball on the left and drove diagonally up the middle for a layup, drawing a foul on Hayes. He got one free throw.
Antetokounmpo missed the free throw, a classic 2+0. Hayes secured the rebound.
Russell quickly organized the Lakers' counter-attack. He had eyes everywhere and spotted an open three-point opportunity in the corner. He decisively passed to Christie.
Christie caught the ball and, without any hesitation, launched a quick shot. The ball drew a perfect arc in the air and swished through the net. 23-41, the Lakers reduced the deficit to 18 points.
Antetokounmpo received a pass from Portis and prepared to initiate another offense. Facing Hayes' defense, he faked and drove into the paint, but this time he encountered stubborn defense from Rui Hachimura.
Antetokounmpo tried to overpower Rui Hachimura with his body, but Rui Hachimura was fearless, forcing Antetokounmpo into a turnover with his strong defense.
The Lakers quickly counter-attacked. Russell passed the ball to Prince. After receiving the pass, Prince executed a beautiful crossover, faking out AJ Green's defense, and drove straight to the basket, calmly laying the ball in. 25-41, the deficit continued to shrink.
Portis received a pass from Antetokounmpo at the top of the arc. Facing Hayes' defense, he shot a three-pointer without hesitation.
This time, the ball didn't go in cleanly like before; it slammed off the rim and bounced out.
Christie secured the rebound again, giving the Lakers a valuable offensive opportunity.
Russell drove again. Facing AJ Green's defense, he skillfully used changes of pace to throw off his opponent's balance, then pulled up for a mid-range jumper. The ball traced a beautiful arc in the air and swished through the net again. 27-41, the Lakers continued to close the gap.
Despite the still-large deficit, the Lakers did not give up and were still giving their all to catch up.
On the next possession, Connaughton's open three-pointer off a pass from Antetokounmpo missed. Rui Hachimura secured the rebound and quickly passed to Russell. Russell drove again, drawing a foul on his opponent. He calmly made both free throws, narrowing the gap to 12 points.
Old Rivers couldn't sit still any longer and immediately called a timeout. There were 5 minutes and 35 seconds left in the second quarter.
After the timeout, both teams brought back their starting lineups, preparing to finish the first half.
Lillard brought the ball up the court and passed to Beasley on the left wing for a three-pointer. Lopez posted up inside against Yì Tiānlín. Beasley passed to Lopez with a bounce pass.
Lopez posted up Yì Tiānlín on the left. Yì Tiānlín suddenly stepped back on defense, causing Lopez to stumble and lose the ball.
Dinwiddie quickly snatched the ball. Yì Tiānlín accelerated ahead. Dinwiddie threw a long pass to the frontcourt. The player and the ball arrived simultaneously for a tomahawk dunk that amazed the crowd.
Commentator: "Yì Tiānlín's performance on both ends of the court has been textbook. Chinese Men's Basketball has hope for a rise!"
Lillard continued to push the ball. Dinwiddie stepped up to defend. Antetokounmpo came up to the top of the arc for a pick-and-roll. He used the screen and attempted a pull-up three-pointer. He missed, and Thick Eyebrows secured the rebound, passing it to Russell on the left.
Russell dribbled smoothly past half-court and handed the ball to Yì Tiānlín at the 45-degree angle on the right. He executed a hesitation dribble and a pull-up three-pointer. The ball traced a perfect arc and precisely hit the rim.
34-41, the deficit was cut to single digits. Yì Tiānlín's five consecutive points had brought the suspense back into the game.
Yì Tiānlín's three-pointer not only showcased his shooting ability but also the Lakers' determination and perseverance.
They were not intimidated by the large deficit and instead fought harder, continuously narrowing the gap.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Antetokounmpo immediately took possession of the ball, trying to stabilize the situation with his individual skills.
Facing Thick Eyebrows' defense, he drove left and right, trying to find an opening. However, Thick Eyebrows' defense was like a solid wall, preventing Antetokounmpo from succeeding. In the end, Antetokounmpo could only force up a shot, which missed the rim.
After securing the rebound, Thick Eyebrows quickly passed the ball to Russell. Russell immediately accelerated and drove. Facing Beasley's defense, he once again displayed his excellent dribbling skills and change of pace, skillfully shaking Green off balance before pulling up for a mid-range jumper. The ball swished through the net again.
36-41, the Lakers narrowed the gap to 5 points. The game had entered a white-hot phase, with players on both sides giving their all to fight for victory.
Seeing the score shrink, Antetokounmpo stepped up immediately. After receiving the ball, he drove straight to the basket. He used his physical advantage to force his way through Thick Eyebrows' defense and finally made the shot.
Russell drove again, facing Beasley's defense. He skillfully used changes of pace to throw off his opponent's balance again before attempting a short floater on the left. The ball traced a beautiful arc in the air and swished through the net cleanly.
As the game progressed, the atmosphere on the court became increasingly tense. Every offense and defense was filled with suspense and excitement.
Both the Lakers and the Bucks displayed their strength and fighting spirit, making the game more exhilarating.
On the last possession before the end of the first half, Russell drove again, facing Lillard's defense. He skillfully used changes of pace. Thick Eyebrows came up to set a screen at the top of the arc. Yì Tiānlín cut out from the left corner to receive the pass.
Russell quickly passed to Yì Tiānlín. He caught the ball and shot a buzzer-beating three-pointer. This time, the arc the ball traced in the air was even more beautiful. The entire audience held their breath, awaiting the result.
Finally, the ball swished through the net. 45-50, the Lakers narrowed the deficit to 5 points, and the first half ended.
Yì Tiānlín scored 8 points in the quarter, helping the Lakers sound the charge of their comeback.