At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Zhang Xiaotian was replaced, and he was rarely punctual.

With the Spurs behind, Popovich decided to take a closer look at Zhang to see if he could seize the opportunity.

Zhang Xiaotian didn't think about it so much at all, he didn't want to lose any game.

Gordon returned, and Rivers Jr. obediently went back to play as a substitute, and the opportunity to show his face was greatly reduced.

Seeing Zhang Xiaotian, he was still a little unhappy, and the fourth quarter started with singles, and then hit iron.

The heart is high, but the strength is still a little worse, Zhang Xiaotian didn't take him to heart at all.

It was the Spurs' turn to attack, Zhang Xiaotian received the ball very smoothly, not because of the increase in charm, but because Popovich just mentioned that the tactical execution of the Spurs players is still good.

He had a dot on his catch, and Ryan Anderson wasn't completely cheated and just stretched out his long arm to interfere.

But that's enough, Anderson's speed is not good, Zhang Xiaotian passed the opponent in a big step, and hit a two-point shot before the Hornets came up to help defend him.

Then Hornets backup guard Brian Roberts hit a three-pointer and the Spurs looked struggling to chase the points.

Zhang Xiaotian didn't worry at all, the Spurs attacked in the middle of the position, and he asked for the ball from the side and behind his back.

The Hornets also didn't expect the Spurs to pull away and hand the ball to Zhang Xiaotian, although he has a reputation, but as a substitute, he rarely enjoys this kind of treatment.

Anderson is up behind, and his height and weight against small forward have no problem at all, as long as he doesn't fight for his feet.

Of course, Zhang Xiaotian would not give up his advantage, he sat inside for a while, and just when Anderson was fighting again, he deceived Anderson's center of gravity with two consecutive turns of feints.

Not as skilled as DeRozan, but it was enough at this time, Zhang Xiaotian seized the opportunity to turn around and shoot arrows on horseback, and hit again.

Anthony Davis was resting off the court at this time, and almost all of the Hornets' offense was from the perimeter.

Anderson took advantage of a delay from his teammates and ran to the three-point line two steps away to catch the ball and shoot half a step forward.

However, just when the half-step of this adjustment was completed, Zhang Xiaotian caught up.

Zhang Xiaotian didn't care about Anderson, jumped up and directly blocked the shooting line, Anderson missed when he threw it, and he scolded angrily twice, who could stand being singled in a row.

The No. 4 position can't bear the No. 3 position, and the Hornets can't do anything, they have to put up with Anderson's defense if they want Anderson's offense, and who makes the Spurs have tough characters during the rotation.

By the seven minutes, the Hornets' nine-point lead was just four points.

The two sides began to arrange their troops one after another, intending to carry out a final fight.

The Hornets are still their lineup that doesn't need a center, leaving Anderson at the No. 4 position and Aminu at the No. 3 position.

The Spurs didn't play their usual big four small, but put on a small lineup, with Dio playing center and Leonard playing the number four position, so that they could play faster.

Except for Davis, who may need to help defend, they can all have advantages in other positions.

This is the essence of a strong team, and it doesn't matter if Duncan is a cheerleader.

It's also about the opponent's choice, they can all shoot outside, and the Spurs can defend it.

Aminu was not aggressive enough, and Zhang Xiaotian also put more energy on the attacking end.

On Anderson's side, Leonard can definitely lock him up.

Gordon is the one who is in doubt on the outside, and Parker's defense is not as good as others.

Sure enough, Gordon hit one right away, and the mid-range shot was successful.

In the past, Parker would definitely return one, but Parker was not of high nature in this game, and with Popovich's arrangement, the ball still came to Zhang Xiaotian.

Aminu's footsteps can keep up, but Zhang Xiaotian has never been a player with new moves.

He beat Anderson with his footsteps because the other party was tall and weighty, and when he replaced the thinner one, Zhang Xiaotian directly carried the other party and killed him.

forced to eat, and the fight also caused the opponent's foul, and Popovich's eyelids jumped.

Will the opponent he chooses be too weak, do you want the Spurs to train him as a core player, but it is too stingy to let him play like this in the face of top forwards.

The $520,000 draft loss can't ask for much.

You can give opportunities at critical moments, it's just a matter of ball possession, and you need a headache, this type of ball play is too troublesome, and the team also has Parker and Ginobili.

In the next few minutes, you go back and forth, Zhang Xiaotian can also pass the ball, although it is not at the top level, but after attracting the defense, he can find an open space, and he is already very qualified on the front line.

When he assisted Leonard to hit a three-pointer, the two teams finally equalized the score, and although Davis then scored two points to put the team back in the lead, it was the Spurs who were more powerful at this time.

At the three-minute mark, Spurs replaced Split, who had just been fouled.

Davis doesn't take turns to defend against rookies, Popovich has a lot of recruits, and it's the same with or without Duncan.

Davis was also a little tired, missing the second free throw, and the Spurs immediately launched a counterattack.

Parker passed to Zhang Xiaotian, Zhang Xiaotian sent the ball to the side, Ginobili received the ball and made a layup, the whole process went smoothly, 91:90, the Spurs overtook him.

When the Hornets attacked again, Anderson came around to catch the ball and handed it to Davis, who had his back to the ball, without a chance.

Davis turned around and made a shooting feint after receiving the ball, Split opened his long arms and was not deceived, maybe Davis shot him directly and didn't try to block, just stretch out his long arms to interfere.

Davis dribbled the ball and squeezed inside, but only one step in, he felt someone approaching, and before he could hold the ball, he was hit down by Zhang Xiaotian's knife.

After breaking the basketball, Zhang Xiaotian immediately launched a counterattack, and outside the three-point line, he stopped and chased three points, and his movements were very standard.

At 94:90, the Hornets took a timeout, and Popovich picked up the tactical board with relief.

"Block him, don't care about his feints, just interfere with his shots, and be ready to help defend at any time." Monty Williams was not reconciled and changed his defensive tactics for the final struggle.

It's just four points, but the team has lost confidence, they've lost too much.

Anderson came to defend, Aminu assisted in the defense, saving the opponent from breaking through and there was no interference, Monty Williams originally wanted to replace Anderson, but he really couldn't think of a suitable person.

However, the Hornets are not only defending now, they also have problems with offense, Davis is being targeted, and they don't seem to have much to do.

The Spurs deliberately put Aminu, causing the Hornets to make a mistake, Ginobili stole the pass that the opponent intended to give to Gordon, the Spurs counterattack worked again, and Zhang Xiaotian hit the ball steadily.

There is still a little more than a minute, but the Hornets are gone.

The Spurs won another victory, Zhang Xiaotian had 16 points and 5 rebounds, which was of great use.