Chapter 198

At the start of the third quarter, both Zhou Yi and Tracy McGrady of the Pistons were taken off the court for a break, while Kobe and Derek Fisher of the Lakers also did not play, getting a chance to rest.
In the first half of this quarter, the Pistons and Lakers engaged in positional battles, led by their key big men Greg Monroe and Andrew Bynum respectively. The two teams exchanged attacks, with intense physical confrontations, and the score remained closely tied as it kept rising.
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Greg Monroe scored a 2+1 after being double-teamed and driving to the basket.
60:62
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Andrew Bynum went one-on-one with Greg Monroe, spun around him, and successfully scored a layup.
63:66
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Greg Monroe assisted Samuel Dalembert, who hit a mid-range shot.
67:69
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Lakers player Ron Artest ran to the outside, received a pass from a teammate, and hit a three-pointer.
70:71
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The positional battles continued. Although not particularly exciting, the fighting was fierce, and every attack and defense by both teams held everyone’s attention, as every goal could determine the outcome of the game.
During these positional battles, both teams were aggressive defensively, but their shooting form was not as good as in the second quarter, so their shooting percentages dropped to around 45%. Yet this did not lessen the intensity of the game. The fans’ hearts raced as the players kept moving back and forth on the court.
By the sixth minute of the third quarter, Zhou Yi and McGrady finally returned to the court, while Greg Monroe was replaced by Ben Wallace for a break to conserve energy for the final moments of the game.
Joining Zhou Yi and McGrady back on the court were Derek Fisher and Kobe of the Lakers. It seemed another period of intense scoring was about to begin.