Chapter 152: No One Can Stop Wade Dong's Scoring Tonight

Three minutes into the second quarter, Kobe Bryant returned to the court.

One minute after Kobe returned, Wade Dong also came back onto the court.

The Suns' bench strength was not weak. This season, the bench players had been leading in minutes played, which was one of the reasons for the Suns' record of 32 wins and 3 losses so far.

However, the bench players were still substitutes for a reason. Besides their inferior abilities, their performance was also unstable. For example, in this game, the Suns' bench players did not perform well, and the lead they had in the first quarter was quickly erased by the Lakers.

After Kobe returned, the Lakers began to extend their lead.

So, Wade Dong only rested for four minutes in the second quarter before returning to the court. After several missed shots by his teammates, Wade Dong took over the team's offensive duties.

"Swish!!!"

After Wade Dong returned, Kobe faced Green's defense and scored a three-pointer.

"Swish!!!"

But Wade Dong also responded in kind.

...

Yu Jia, "Kobe and Wade Dong are going head-to-head."

Coach Zhang, "That's what superstars do."

Yu Jia, "It looks like both of them will score over fifty points today."

Yu Jia, "Coach Zhang, which team do you think... Wow, great move! Wade Dong just faked out Metta World Peace!"

Coach Zhang, "I still favor the Suns."

...

Just now, Wade Dong used a series of crossovers to fake out Metta World Peace completely.

In this game, Wade Dong's shooting touch was incredibly hot. Coach Gold didn't need to make any tactical adjustments; he just needed to give the ball to Wade Dong whenever the Suns were on offense.

By the end of the first half, the score was 59:63! The Lakers were still trailing the Suns by four points.

In the first half, Kobe scored 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting, but Wade Dong had already scored 35 points on 14-of-19 shooting.

Scoring 35 points in the first half was not a big deal for Wade Dong. He had once scored 37 points in a single quarter during his first NBA game. In the Olympic final, Wade Dong scored 90 points against the defense of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, leading China to a historic gold medal in men's basketball.

In the Suns' locker room, Coach Gold said, "Continue to give the ball to Wade Dong in the second half."

The Suns players agreed, "Got it."

Coach Gold also smiled and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Wade Dong with such a strong desire to score."

Ever since the Olympics, Coach Gold had been hoping to see Wade Dong have another high-scoring performance. However, this season, Wade Dong's desire to score had not been very strong. In the new season so far, Wade Dong had only scored 50+ points three times, which had been somewhat disappointing for Coach Gold. After all, Coach Gold had witnessed Wade Dong's 90-point game while coaching the opposing team.

So, Coach Gold had been eager to experience what it felt like to be Wade Dong's coach when he scored big.

After the tactical arrangements, Wade Dong joked, "Before the game, I told Kobe that I would score 81 points at the Staples Center, but I'm not a stat padder. Everything is for the victory of the game."

"Of course, Wade Dong is not a stat padder!"

The Suns players shook their heads helplessly. The phrase "I'm not a stat padder" was about to join "idol" as a phrase they didn't want to hear.

Whenever Wade Dong said "idol," it meant he was about to dominate that player on the court. Now, when Wade Dong said "I'm not a stat padder," it meant he was about to start padding his stats.

This game was different from the one against the Celtics. Wade Dong only took over the team's offense after his teammates missed several shots. The Suns were able to lead the Lakers by four points at halftime thanks to Wade Dong's 35 points. If Wade Dong had scored a few less points, the Suns would already be behind.

McGrady, standing nearby, felt both admiration and regret. He had once been a scoring machine and had won the scoring title twice.

Unfortunately, several major injuries had severely affected his physical condition. Otherwise, he could have had a scoring duel with Wade Dong during his peak.

The second half of the game began.

The Lakers still did not choose to double-team Wade Dong. They were going to play a high-scoring game against the Suns.

They were also gambling that the other Suns players would have poor shooting touch, and that Wade Dong alone could not win the game.

At the start of the third quarter, Kobe scored two consecutive three-pointers, and the Lakers took the lead.

Coach Gold stood on the sidelines and shouted, "Wade Dong, don't pass the ball, shoot it yourself!"

"Damn it..."

Wade Dong heard Coach Gold's words and rolled his eyes. This tactical arrangement was loud enough for the whole world to hear.

But when the team was behind and the teammates couldn't score, as the team's leader, Wade Dong had to step up.

Wade Dong took the ball beyond the three-point line, dribbled with his right hand, then made a crossover, followed by two consecutive crossover steps. He made a fake move as if he was going to shoot, but his hands did not come together. Instead, he took a step back with the tip of his foot, then another step back, and finally shot the three-pointer.

Metta World Peace had already lost his defensive position.

"Swish!!!"

The ball went through the net!

This kind of step-back three-pointer was a move that Harden would perfect a few years later. Now, Wade Dong was using it effortlessly.

Unfortunately, by the time Harden mastered this move in the future, no one would think of it as Harden's signature step-back three-pointer. They would only think that Harden was imitating Wade Dong.

"He traveled!"

Metta World Peace shouted at the referee, claiming that Wade Dong had traveled.

The referee hesitated for a moment before signaling that the basket was good.

65:66! The Suns were ahead by one point again.

This move was rarely seen in previous games, mainly because the first step-back fake was too realistic. Even Yu Jia and Coach Zhang had to look closely to confirm that Wade Dong's hands did not come together during the first step-back.

On the Lakers' side, Howard scored in the paint.

Wade Dong used the same move again. Metta World Peace saw it coming, so he lunged forward during Wade Dong's first fake step-back. Unfortunately, this fake move in Wade Dong's hands was not just a step-back. After faking out Metta World Peace with the first step, he passed the ball to Nash and then rushed towards the basket.

Nash understood and immediately threw the ball towards the basket.

"Boom!!!"

Wade Dong caught the ball in mid-air and slammed it with one hand!

...

Yu Jia, "Wade Dong's move completely faked out Metta World Peace!"

Coach Zhang, "Too hard to defend! You never know what Wade Dong will do next to score."

...

One three-pointer and one alley-oop.

At the start of the third quarter, Wade Dong had already scored 40 points. Tonight, no one could stop Wade Dong from scoring!