Chapter 205: One Point, One Rebound

Afterward, the Bulls went on the attack.

The entire team maintained their hot shooting, with almost everyone making their shots.

"Go Bulls!"

"Go Bulls!"

"Go Bulls!"

Li Pei also sat on the bench, vigorously waving a towel.

Although he couldn't play, Li Pei felt he should contribute something since he was getting paid by the Bulls. Even if it was just being a cheerleader, he had to do his part.

Both teams traded baskets.

The first quarter ended.

29:29!!!

The Suns and the Bulls were tied.

During the first quarter break, Wade Dong looked at the stats. The Suns had six more rebounds than the Bulls and took four more shots, yet the score was tied.

The Bulls were a team of tall players, with Boozer and Noah being formidable inside players. For the Suns to outrebound them by six was quite an achievement.

Even so, the Bulls' shooting percentage in the first quarter was 63%, while the Suns, the league's top offensive team, shot only 52%.

Could it be that Li Pei was truly a lucky charm?

The second quarter began, and the Suns brought in their bench players: Nash, Thompson, Gortat, Tucker, and Frye.

The bench was the Suns' strength.

Right from the start, Nash assisted Frye and Thompson in making three-pointers, and the defensive duo of Gortat and Tucker made it difficult for the Bulls to score easily.

The Bulls' bench players brought down the team's shooting percentage, and just three minutes into the second quarter, the Bulls had to bring back their starters.

However, the Suns' bench players maintained the lead until there were five minutes left in the second quarter, when Wade Dong and Curry returned to the court.

51:43!!!

The Suns led the Bulls by 8 points.

After Wade Dong returned to the court, Rose's shooting percentage improved. Against the bench players, Rose made 1 out of 3 shots, but after Wade Dong came back, Rose made four consecutive mid-range shots, narrowing the gap to just 2 points.

"This isn't a lucky charm, it's a curse on me..." Wade Dong thought, looking at Li Pei again. When Wade Dong wasn't on the court, the Suns were leading, but as soon as he came back, the Suns made only 1 out of 4 shots, while the Bulls, led by Rose, made 4 out of 4.

With one minute left in the second quarter, Bulls coach Thibodeau suddenly asked Li Pei, "Are you ready?"

"Ah..."

Li Pei was confused. What did "ready" mean?

Thibodeau said, "You're going in now."

"I'm going in?"

Li Pei pointed to himself, finding it hard to believe. Yesterday, in the intra-squad scrimmage, he was the weakest player. After the game, he was completely outmatched by the team's training staff. With his level of play, the coach was actually letting him on the court?

Thibodeau didn't care what Li Pei was thinking and asked again, "Are you ready to go in?"

"I'm ready!"

Li Pei hesitated for a moment before nodding vigorously.

If he didn't even have the courage to go on the court, he wouldn't be worthy of being Wade Dong's brother.

"Good!"

Thibodeau was pleased with Li Pei's response and signaled the referee that the Bulls were making a substitution.

Li Pei replaced Boozer.

This was Li Pei's first time truly standing on an NBA court, and the home crowd stood up and cheered.

Wade Dong saw Li Pei come on and turned to the Suns players, saying, "This is my brother. Since he won't have many chances to play, let's go easy on him..."

The Suns players looked at each other, not sure how to respond.

Li Pei was very fortunate. If Wade Dong had had a brother looking out for him in his previous life, he might not have become so reclusive.

There were 36 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Bulls were on offense. Rose dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to Li Pei. Li Pei received the ball in the paint, with Gortat defending him. Li Pei tried to dribble past Gortat.

Gortat, "???"

Gortat didn't feel any resistance from Li Pei's dribble. If he wanted to, he could easily steal the ball.

But Gortat remembered Wade Dong's words and didn't put up any resistance against Li Pei.

However, it was too difficult for Li Pei to take on Gortat one-on-one. He tried to dribble past Gortat twice but couldn't get by. In his first time on an NBA court, Li Pei was so nervous that he couldn't think of passing the ball. He instinctively jumped and shot.

Gortat raised his hand, just for show. He knew Li Pei wouldn't make the shot because Li Pei had no confidence in his shot.

"Clang~~~"

As expected, Li Pei missed the shot.

But after missing the shot, Li Pei didn't give up. He jumped with all his might and, with no one contesting him, grabbed an offensive rebound.

After getting the rebound, Li Pei went for a second chance.

"Slap~~~"

"Beep~~~"

Gortat fouled him, and the referee's whistle blew.

Li Pei went to the free-throw line, and Gortat leaned over to Wade Dong, whispering, "Brother Wade, how was my acting?"

"Very good~"

Wade Dong secretly gave Gortat a thumbs-up. "With your acting skills, I'll recommend you to Hollywood during the offseason. You could be an actor."

"Really?"

Wade Dong was just joking, but Gortat was very excited. "I've always dreamed of being an actor. I know you're friends with Zhang Yimou. You have to keep your word."

Wade Dong, "..."

"G~~~"

"Swish~~~"

Li Pei made one of his two free throws, scoring one point for the Bulls.

The second quarter left the Suns with 19 seconds to attack. Curry controlled the pace and shot a three-pointer with 2 seconds left.

"Swish!!!"

Curry made another buzzer-beater three-pointer.

The first half ended with the Suns leading 54:51. Wade Dong walked over to Li Pei, put his arm around his neck, and joked, "Brother Pei, you played well. One shot, one world; one point, one rebound..."

Li Pei knew that Gortat had intentionally let him score, including the final shot. If Gortat hadn't intentionally fouled him, Li Pei might have missed the shot again.

But overall, Li Pei's performance was not bad. He scored one point and grabbed one rebound in 36 seconds of play. If he played the whole game, could he score 60 points and grab 60 rebounds?

Of course, basketball isn't that simple, but it gave Li Pei a starting point.

In the second half, Li Pei's lucky charm effect wore off... The Suns started hitting three-pointers and took the game.

"Beep!!!"

The referee's whistle blew, and the game ended.

107:102!!!

The Suns defeated the Bulls.

In this Chinese derby, Wade Dong scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Li Pei scored 1 point and grabbed 1 rebound. Wade Dong had a +1 plus-minus, and Li Pei had a -2 plus-minus. Overall, they still put on an exciting show for the Chinese fans.