Chapter 65

After the start of the second quarter, the two teams played more intensely than in the first quarter, as both fielded substitute squads, and the gap between substitute teams and their regular teams isn’t as large. However, the Pistons’ substitute squad was still stronger than the Bobcats’, with all of their players being formidable bench players. Sean Livingston assisted Gerald Henderson twice in a row, and combined with Gerald Henderson’s own successful drive, he scored 7 points in quick succession, quickly narrowing the score gap to 13 points. But the Pistons’ veteran James Posey, with assistance from Will Bynum, hit two three-pointers in a row, expanding the lead to 19 points. Gerald Henderson scored 3 points with a quick stop-and-shoot from beyond the three-point line, then stole Will Bynum’s pass. As DeSagana Diop scored inside and forced Samuel Dalembert into a free throw, turning it into a two-point play, the Bobcats once again narrowed the gap to 13 points. At 8:03 of the quarter, the game entered an official timeout. After the timeout, Will Bynum stepped up and scored 5 points with both field goals and free throws. The Pistons maintained a lead of around 15 points, while the Bobcats’ substitutes fought hard, several times bringing the score within 10 points, seemingly on the verge of reducing the gap to single digits, but they were quickly pushed back by the Pistons. At 6:11 of the second quarter, both teams began substituting in their starting players. In the last two minutes of the first half, only Gerald Wallace scored 4 points for the Bobcats, while the Pistons took advantage to score 8 points in a row, with Pringle hitting a last-second three-pointer in the final seconds. At the end of the first half, the Pistons had widened the score gap significantly thanks to those final two minutes. The score stood at 68:46, with the Pistons holding a huge 22-point lead heading into the third quarter. “You all did an excellent job in the first half! Guys, keep it up in the second half—we’re definitely going to win this game!” John Kuester said to the Pistons with a smile. It must be said that John Kuester is quite skilled as a coach; he always manages to inspire his players’ passion and often encourages them when things get tough. Yet he can also be quite strict when necessary, proving to be a competent coach. Unnoticed, the second half was about to begin.

“Hehe, we need to put in more effort in the second half to widen the score gap! That way, we won’t have to play in the fourth quarter,” Maddie said with a smile, walking to the right of Zhou Yi and Will Bynum.
“Mm,” Zhou Yi and Will Bynum nodded in unison.