"We just witnessed a first quarter that defies description!"
Kenny Smith, who was used to big occasions, could not contain his excitement at this moment: "Kai Chen and James Harden gave us a crazy duel in the first quarter!"
"The Los Angeles Clippers can't stop Harden, and the Houston Rockets can't stop Kai either."
In the first quarter, James Harden shot 9-of-13, scoring 26 points and dishing out 4 assists, an explosive performance.
This was Harden's highest single-quarter scoring performance of the season so far.
On the other hand, Kai Chen shot 10-of-13 in the first quarter!
He made all four of his three-point attempts, and including free throws, he exploded for 28 points in the quarter!
It was another 20+ point performance in the first quarter, but today the Clippers didn't manage to extend their lead.
Led by James Harden, the Houston Rockets trailed the Los Angeles Clippers by only two points at the end of the first quarter, 38:40.
The suspense of the game continues!
At the same time, the scoring duel between the two superstar scorers brought immense excitement to the watching audience!
"How long has it been since we've seen such an amazing scoring battle????"
"The dunk-for-dunk, explosion-for-explosion between Kai and Harden is insane!"
"Both of them perfectly displayed their individual offensive talents!"
"Kai and Harden are the best scorers in the league today!"
In the NBA, there is never a shortage of star-on-star explosions.
There were Magic and Bird in the past, Kobe and LeBron more recently.
And now, Kai and Harden!
Everyone believes that the duel between these two will be a scoring battle worthy of being etched into history!
After the first quarter of the Rockets vs. Clippers game, TNT posted a news headline on its official website calling the game:
The Contest of the Strongest Shooting Guards of the New Era!
Looking at the purple and gold jerseys with numbers 8 and 24 hanging above the Staples Center.
Those were the glories Kobe Bryant left in this league!
Now, Kai Chen and James Harden will take over his mantle and revive the glory of the shooting guard position!
"Whew~~"
On the Clippers bench, Kai took a deep breath.
Even with the system's boost, his heart was still trembling after such a high-intensity offensive exchange in the first quarter.
Today, Kai entered an offensive state from the start, and his touch was explosive, maintaining highly efficient play.
But even so, his team didn't manage to pull away.
"This is going to be a very interesting game!"
On the other side, James Harden also felt deeply.
Before this, he always thought he was the best shooting guard.
But today, after encountering Kai, he had to admit that the opponent's talent on the offensive end was also extraordinarily gifted.
Perhaps, he might even be more talented and skilled than himself.
One must know, he is only a rookie this year!
Looking at the young man wearing the number 23 jersey, and then glancing at Kobe's jersey hanging above the arena, James Harden couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly: "Perhaps this is the inheritance."
Perhaps, at this moment, he understood.
His inner feelings when he dueled Kobe back then!
The timeout quickly ended, and the rotation lineups of both teams appeared.
Due to the widespread injuries suffered by the team, the Rockets' bench struggled to stop the Clippers' bench, which featured Lou Williams and Harrell.
The lead gradually widened.
In the middle of the second quarter, both head coaches simultaneously put their starting lineups back on the court!
Rockets' ball possession!
James Harden received the ball at the top of the arc, looked at Beverley in front of him, and immediately gave a signal to Tucker on the other side.
PJ also understood, decisively came up, and gave Harden a side pick-and-roll.
The Los Angeles Clippers switched on the pick-and-roll!
Who was guarding Harden?
Of course, it was Kai Chen!
"Kai!"
Beverley, who was heavily abused by Harden in the first quarter, obviously wanted to switch back with Kai to regain his aura.
But Kai gave him a gesture, meaning:
No need to switch!
Leave it to me!
"James Harden calls for a pick-and-roll to get Kai Chen in front of him!"
Smith on the sidelines pondered, then suddenly slapped his thigh: "Isn't this the isolation play Kai once displayed?"
Not long ago, in the Clippers' game against the Suns, Kai's isolation play directly shattered the mental fortitude of the number one pick, Deandre Ayton.
Many fans believe that 99% of the reason Ayton took stimulants was Kai.
Now, James Harden is actually using Kai's own move against him!
"Crazy!!"
At the same time, in Dallas!
Inside the Mavericks' basketball training facility.
Luka Doncic, who was watching this game, was fully focused.
A few days ago, in the Mavericks' game against the Rockets, James Harden's full-court isolation against him was still vivid in his memory.
Now, it was finally Kai Chen's turn to defend Harden.
He was very curious if Kai could really defend James Harden!
It wasn't just him.
Rookies who had been isolated by Harden, such as Trae Young, Marvin Bagley, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all unconsciously clenched their fists.
They all wanted to know whether they were too weak, or if Harden was just too strong!
"Kai defending Harden!"
"Harden is continuously dribbling between his legs, looking for rhythm!"
"He lowered his Center of Gravity!"
How strong was Harden's dribble penetration ability in his prime?
I don't need to say, everyone knows it well.
Even Kai, with the system's boost, was almost shaken off by Harden; fortunately, his footwork was fast enough.
However, Harden's play wouldn't be that simple.
A step of acceleration to gain the advantage, Harden's familiar double-crossover change of direction perfectly evaded Kai's defense, then a Euro step layup for the score!
The entire sequence of movements was fluid and seamless, without any hesitation!
"Excellent change of pace, James Harden has entered a state of complete freedom on offense!"
"With a deceptive player like him, it's very hard to predict his next move."
At the commentary table, O'Neal showered Harden with praise.
Coming back, after Beverley brought the ball up to the frontcourt, he obviously passed the ball to Kai.
Facing Tucker's defense, Kai also completed a pick-and-roll with Carmelo, switching Harden onto himself.
After the switch, Harden shouted loudly to Tucker on the side: "I got this, no need to switch back!"
Facing James Harden, Kai held the ball with his back to the basket, then executed a behind-the-back dribble, followed by a step-back to the left beyond the three-point line, and immediately launched a pull-up three-pointer!!!
"Swish!"
The basketball in the air was like a blade unsheathed, delivering a decisive blow!
"Come on!"
The made shot caused the fans in the Staples Center to stand up and cheer.
This is what they wanted to see!
This is the captain they needed!
Coming back, Harden again called for Tucker's pick-and-roll, again isolating Kai!
Beverley let out a long breath and moved aside, quietly watching Harden vs. Kai again.
It must be said that although his first quarter was quite dark, starting from the second quarter, Beverley felt the dark clouds above his head dissipate.
Moreover, watching the duel between two superstars from close proximity was also very beneficial to him.
In fact, Kai and Harden truly engaged in an offensive and defensive explosion in the second quarter.
Harden facing Kai, constantly used rhythm changes to shake off his defense and score layups, while Kai on the return, executed a dazzling move to get past Harden, then threw down another powerful dunk over Capela in the paint.
As soon as he finished dunking, Harden countered with a step-back three-pointer.
Extremely stylish!
As soon as the basketball went in, the Clippers quickly inbounded the ball from the baseline.
Kai received the ball and quickly advanced, a ridiculous trailing three-pointer also went in steadily!
"Too exciting!"
"This type of game is what brings me back to the good days!?"
On the court, the scoring duel between Rockets' Red 1 and Clippers' White 23 left the two commentators on the commentary table mesmerized.
It wasn't just them; fans worldwide watching the game through various live streaming apps were also glued to their screens.
On the last possession of the second quarter, Kai used Lopez's screen to forcefully break through Harden's defense, drove to the paint, and made a difficult reverse layup in the air over Capela's long arms!
Having completed that reverse layup, Kai had already scored 48 points by halftime!
The Los Angeles Clippers also temporarily led the Rockets 76-70, by 6 points!
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