There is one quarter left in the game.
81:92!!
The Suns are still down by 11 points.
Even with their strongest third quarter, the Suns couldn't catch up. This game must be taken seriously!
"This is weird..."
Cummings tapped his thighs rhythmically with his fingers. "The Magic made 13 of 21 three-pointers in the first three quarters, a 61% success rate, which is higher than their field goal percentage."
There's one thing Cummings didn't say.
Wei Guo made 4 of 7 three-point attempts in the first three quarters, a 57% success rate, which is Wei Guo's normal level, but lower than the Magic's overall three-point shooting percentage.
If the Magic maintain this shooting percentage, the Suns are in trouble!
actually...
Hill and Francis are not the type of players who excel at three-point shooting, and Nelson and Turkoglu are still young players with less distinct characteristics.
The Magic were also quite smug, as a number suddenly appeared on the arena's big screen.
Very large, and in black: 21
21 is the Suns' current winning streak. The Magic's use of black to represent this streak is a way of telling the Suns that their winning streak has come to an end.
Wow~~~
Hahaha~~~
"Wow~~~"
The audience applauded and cheered.
Wei Guo looked up at the big screen, his eyebrows twitching. "This jinx... has prematurely ended the Magic's chances."
Really...
Did they think they could beat the Suns?
Wouldn't it be better to wait until the final buzzer sounds and the Magic have actually won before celebrating like this? Putting up a black number now... is meant to encourage the Magic, but it has also angered the Suns.
......
In the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, the substitutes were exchanging blows.
The Suns failed to catch up, and the Magic's reserves Garetti and Stephenson scored 7 consecutive points, extending the lead to 15 points.
The sun has set!
The sun has set!
The sun has set!
The audience cheered and jeering, as if the home team had already won the game.
Wei Guo tossed the towel off his shoulder, walked to the scorer's table, turned to face the more than 10,000 fans in the stadium, put his index finger to his lips, and shushed them.
This is goodwill from the East.
Wei Guo was reminding the audience not to shout so loudly, or they would be slapped in the face later, as he was about to go on stage and win the game.
The audience actually quieted down...
When Richardson came off the court, he walked over to Wei Guo and gave him a high-five.
Suns on offense!
Wei Guo ran up the court, received a pass from Nash, took a step past Hill, and flicked his wrist.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
86:99!!
The Suns are down by 13 points.
For the Magic, Wei Guo gave Hill a step of space, but Hill didn't shoot. Instead, he risked a drive... keeping his body pressed against Wei Guo, stopping abruptly under the basket and leaning back to adjust his hand position before shooting.
"Gurgle..."
Unfortunately, the basketball spun around the rim a few times before flying out.
Wei Guo pushed Howard aside...
"Isn't this move a foul?!"
Howard couldn't get past Wei Guo, so he could only yell at the referee.
The referee, of course, ignored Howard. In the penalty area, everyone had to rely on their own abilities. If he couldn't get past Wei Guo, he should go home and work on his strength. But it couldn't be said that Wei Guo committed a foul by blocking the way.
"Smack!"
Wei Guo grabs the defensive rebound!
Without the slightest hesitation...
Wei Guo passed the ball up the court, where Johnson was already waiting. He easily received the ball and dribbled it once.
"Bang!!!"
A tomahawk dunk.
After scoring, Johnson raised his hand to his temple as a gesture of thanks to his teammate for the assist.
88:99!!
The Suns are still down by 11 points.
The Magic players were getting a little anxious...
Nelson's hasty three-point attempt against Nash's defense missed, and Wei Guo once again squeezed past Howard to grab the rebound.
In the fourth quarter, the Magic players' shooting percentage dropped significantly due to fatigue!
The Suns changed their offensive strategy, with Wei Guo repeatedly posting up Howard in the paint, not only scoring but also drawing fouls from Howard.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
"......"
"Whoosh!!!"
But when the defense began its attack, the basket was as vast as the sea.
The Magic's assistant coach reminded the head coach, "Howard has already committed five fouls."
"Five offenses???"
The head coach frowned. With 3 minutes and 17 seconds left in the game, the Suns had already tied the score.
If Howard fouls out at this point, the Magic will lose their most reliable inside player, and that will be the time for the Suns to seal the victory.
......
The Suns also discovered this problem.
Gentry shouted, "Howard has five fouls! Drive to the basket and draw a foul on Howard!"
The young man is too young...
Wei Guo faced Howard again. Without moving his pivot foot, he first turned to the right while making a shooting fake, which sent Howard flying. However, Wei Guo did not rush to shoot. He waited for Howard to land and then turned to the left again, making another shooting fake, which sent Howard flying once more!
This...this...this...
Howard was furious. Wei Guo was treating him like a monkey, even though he was a top draft pick.
*Smack!!!*
Just as Wei Guo was about to make his move, Howard slapped his wrist.
"Holy crap!"
Wei Guo flicked his wrist. "You hit too hard."
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle and called a defensive foul on Howard.
At this point...
Howard, who only committed three fouls in the first three quarters, committed three consecutive fouls against Wei Guo in five minutes in the fourth quarter, accumulating six fouls!
Wei Guo stepped up to the free-throw line.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
The Suns made both free throws, giving them a two-point lead.
The turning point of the game came with this foul. After Howard left the court, substitute center Cato came on, but Cato was far inferior to Howard... The outcome of this game was already decided.
The last three minutes flew by...
The Magic's head coach added two timeouts to encourage his players, but it couldn't turn the tide. Nelson, Turkoglu, and Hill's shooting percentages dropped due to fatigue, and with the loss of their center Howard, the Suns weren't about to let this opportunity to capitalize on their weakness slip away. They went on a 13-2 run to take the game away.
"Beep!!!"
The whistle blew, and the game ended.
113:107!!
The Suns defeated the Magic by 8 points on the road.
The Magic, who had a hot hand in the first three quarters, only scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. Wei Guo scored only 8 points in the 7 minutes he came on, and it was as if he couldn't get any points no matter how he shot.
Match statistics:
Wei Guo: 41 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Nash: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 17 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Hill: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Francis: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Howard: 15 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 3 blocks
Wei Guo scored a game-high 41 points, and seven Magic players scored in double figures. In addition to Hill, Nelson, Turkoglu, Garrett, and Stevens also scored in double figures. However, the Magic's jinx cost them the game.
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