2–2!
Kai Chen's bucket helped the Clippers tie the game.
Boston Celtics possession!
On the left wing beyond the three-point line, Jayson Tatum and Horford exchanged glances. Horford smoothly set a screen for Tatum, completely blocking Kai Chen.
The next moment, Irving's pass landed in Tatum's hands like a shadow.
After a quick adjustment, Tatum released the shot in one fluid motion, leaving the Clippers no chance to recover on defense.
"Swish!"
The ball splashed through the net.
5–2!
"Jayson Tatum responds immediately to Kai Chen!"
At the TNT courtside commentary desk, Smith exclaimed, "This season, with Irving and Gordon Hayward returning, the team's overall strength has improved a lot. Many fans thought their return would limit the growth of second-year rookie Jayson Tatum."
"But from these games, Tatum hasn't been affected at all—if anything, he's getting better and better!"
"Exactly," O'Neal nodded. "Jayson Tatum will definitely be the future leader of this Green Army. If you watched his matchup with LeBron in last season's Eastern Conference Finals, you'd agree."
On the court, Beverley brought the ball past half-court.
On the other side, Kai used Lopez's screen to curl out, caught the ball, and decisively launched a three.
"Clank!"
Kai Chen's first three-point attempt came up short.
Gordon Hayward secured the rebound, and the Celtics pushed in transition.
Irving caught the ball in the backcourt and sprinted up the floor. Facing Beverley's pressure, he spun brilliantly, shaking off the latter's aggressive, dogged defense.
Then, with Carmelo stepping in to help, Irving used another sharp crossover in front of his body to break free and attack the paint.
Drawing the attention of Kai Chen and Jeff Green, Irving fired a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Jaylen Brown cutting in.
"Boom!"
Brown caught it, took two steps inside the free-throw line, and hammered it home with a one-handed tomahawk dunk.
7–2!
The Boston Celtics extended their lead.
On the other end, Horford successfully shut down Lopez's strong interior attack.
Lopez was completely suppressed by the experienced Horford.
He missed a shot, grabbed his own rebound, missed again, and finally Horford secured the ball to end the possession.
Although Lopez managed to limit Horford on defense and grab the rebound, his earlier struggles made Clippers fans watching on TV uneasy.
"Fuck!"
Back on offense, Lopez took a pass from Kai Chen and missed a point-blank layup.
Lopez grabbed his head in frustration and cursed out loud.
The Celtics immediately pushed the pace again.
"Swish!"
Irving pulled up from a step beyond the three-point line and coldly drilled the shot over Beverley.
10–2!
With that basket, the home Celtics stretched the lead to eight.
At this point, not only the Clippers players on the floor but also the coaching staff on the sideline frowned, searching for answers.
Against Boston's suffocating defense, if they couldn't find a solution soon, things looked grim.
"Cut him! What kind of player is this? Cut him!"
In live streams across the world, people exploded after seeing Lopez miss the open layup. "Why is Lopez so damn clumsy? He's over two meters tall for nothing."
"Kai Chen dropped a perfect pass, and he still couldn't finish it. That's a complete waste of a great play. This kind of player should be cut!"
Even people watching the live streams were having a good time
"Hahaha, I love this streamer—he dares to tell the truth!"
"His commentary is on point. He's saying exactly what we're thinking!"
"Love it, instant follow."
On the court, the ball went back to Kai Chen.
Jayson Tatum turned up the pressure, sticking close and constantly swiping at the ball.
"Whew—!"
Kai took a deep breath, put the ball on the floor, and drove straight into the lane.
Tatum stayed glued to him, one hand pressing against Kai's waist, trying to stop him from powering up.
Kai gritted his teeth, suddenly stopped, and pulled up at the free-throw line.
The abrupt stop shook Tatum for a split second. He recovered quickly, leaping with both arms up to contest.
But what he didn't expect was how high Kai jumped—and how fast he released.
"Swish!"
The shot dropped cleanly, and the atmosphere inside the TD Garden instantly cooled.
The Clippers' coaching staff finally exhaled in relief. At the very least, they still had Kai Chen.
When the offense stalled, the only player the Clippers could truly rely on was their core—Kai Chen.
After failing to stop that shot, Tatum wasn't upset. He smiled and walked over. "Kai, that was a beautiful bucket."
"Your defense is really good too," Kai replied with a smile.
As Irving brought the ball up again, the Celtics' offense went back into motion.
Irving swung it to Tatum on the left wing.
Tatum dribbled twice inside, then kicked it to Jaylen Brown, who was cutting from the baseline.
After meeting resistance from Jeff Green, Brown pivoted and passed out to Gordon Hayward on the perimeter.
Lopez hadn't rotated over yet when Hayward released the shot.
"Swish!"
The three was good.
13–4!
Boston firmly controlled the momentum.
Clippers possession. Beverley brought the ball across midcourt.
Compared to Boston's diverse tactics and scoring options, the Clippers' offense looked much simpler.
On the wing, Lopez and Jeff Green set a double screen for Kai Chen.
With a clean cut to shake off Tatum, Kai caught the ball and fired a three.
The ball arced high and dropped straight through the net.
13–7!
"The Clippers are stabilizing the gap through Kai Chen's continuous scoring," Smith said at the TNT desk. "I've always been optimistic about Kai, but winning in Boston's hometown tonight will be extremely difficult."
O'Neal added, "There's no doubt—Kai Chen is special. He's proving with his play that he's the best rookie in this class."
"But unfortunately for him, he's up against the Boston Celtics, whose starting lineup might be the best in the entire league."
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