Chapter 342: Chapter 342: The Bucks' Defense
The Mavericks inbounded the ball, and Ellis missed the shot.
Wade Dong secured the defensive rebound and immediately called a timeout.
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
Amid the unified chants from the home crowd, Dong walked off the court and did not return for the rest of the game.
After Dong's exit, Durant and Curry remained on the court to lead the team in the fourth quarter.
...
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle signaled the end of the game.
The final score was 127-80!
The Suns dominated the Mavericks by 47 points at home.
The game stats:
Wade Dong: 32 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks, 4 steals.
Kevin Durant: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks.
Stephen Curry: 29 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks.
Vince Carter: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks.
Dirk Nowitzki: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 1 block.
Khris Middleton: 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.
Although the Mavericks were slaughtered by the Suns, Middleton's performance was commendable. If not for his timely contributions, the Mavericks might not have lasted three quarters.
...
Before the All-Star Game, the Suns had five more games to play.
The next day, the Suns hosted the Milwaukee Bucks, another weak team from the Eastern Conference. →
Starting Lineups:
Phoenix Suns: Wade Dong, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Marcin Gortat, Draymond Green.
Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Knight, Ramon Sessions, O.J. Mayo, John Henson, Caron Butler.
Stephen Curry sat out this game due to feeling unwell, possibly also because he considered the Bucks a weaker opponent. Since Dong's arrival, the Suns had played against the Bucks several times, but the Bucks had never managed to beat them.
Dong wasn't familiar with the Bucks players, but he had heard that they played tough defense.
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle signaled the start of the game.
Dong received the ball and dribbled up the court. Mayo defended Dong aggressively, even attempting to steal the ball.
"Kid, who taught you to defend like that?" Dong said as he blew past Mayo. But Mayo turned and grabbed Dong's arm.
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew the whistle, indicating a defensive foul by Mayo.
However, Dong didn't attempt a shot, so the Suns had to inbound the ball from the sideline.
"Hiss~~~"
Dong took a deep breath, noticing a scratch on his arm. He turned and glared at Mayo, "Kid, did your coach teach you to defend like this?"
Mayo grunted, "How I defend is my business!"
"Aiyo, damn!"
Green rushed over at the sound of Mayo's words.
Mayo didn't back down.
It seemed like a fight was about to break out, but Durant held Green by the neck and pulled him back, "Don't be impulsive!"
Green yelled at Durant, "Damn it, this guy scratched Dong's arm, didn't you see that?"
"I'm fine," Dong said, shaking off Green's arm.
The Suns inbounded the ball.
Dong caught the ball, hooked his index finger, and said to Mayo, "Come and defend me."
"Hmph!"
Mayo grunted and charged at Dong again.
Dong dribbled close to Mayo, and as he passed him, he spun and pulled the ball back, then continued with a series of crossovers. As Mayo tried to steal the ball, Dong spun again and easily shook off Mayo with another crossover.
"Clap!"
Mayo lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Dong still didn't attempt a shot. After Mayo got up, Dong continued to toy with him. Mayo frantically waved his hands, but he couldn't even touch the ball, let alone Dong's jersey.
...
This kind of showboating had been seen before, like when Steve Nash dribbled past Vlade Divac. The difference was that Mayo was made to fall twice by Dong.
As the 24-second shot clock was about to expire, Dong placed the ball on the floor and gave up the shot, looking at Mayo with contempt.
Mayo's face turned red. This move was too insulting... But as the Bucks missed their shot, Dong also came off the court.
After being scratched by Mayo, Dong's arm bled, and he left the court to have his wound treated.
"I didn't expect the Bucks to play so dirty..." Dong muttered as he sat on the sidelines. After the team doctor disinfected his wound, Dong also used a bottle of 'healing potion'.
Being an idol, he couldn't afford to have scars on his arms.
The intensity on the court escalated!
Both teams played with aggressive defense...
The first quarter ended.
The score was 29-21!
The Suns led by 8 points.
Alvin Gentry asked Dong, "Dong, is your wound serious?"
"It's fine," Dong replied.
He wiped the blood and disinfectant off his arm with a towel, and the wound was no longer visible.
"This recovery ability is truly inhuman," Gentry muttered. Dong's recovery was incredible. Just moments ago, there was a long scratch on his arm, but now there was no trace of it.
Gentry asked, "Are you going back in tonight?"
"What do you think?" Dong replied.
"You have to," Gentry said, unscrewing his thermos and taking a sip of tea. "Your consecutive 20-point scoring streak is still ongoing."
Wilt Chamberlain's consecutive 20-point scoring record had long been broken by Dong. In fact, every time Dong played, he broke a historical record, and many of these records were his own.
For example, the number of quadruple-doubles and consecutive 20-point games.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
As the second quarter began and Dong returned to the court, the home crowd chanted 'MVP'.
When Mayo scratched Dong, the front row spectators had seen it, and they were concerned about Dong. But seeing Dong return in the second quarter, they felt relieved.
The Bucks had their bench players on the court.
As soon as Dong stepped on the court, his entire demeanor changed.
He dribbled to the three-point line, accelerated past Neal, drove to the basket, and dunked over Adrien with a tomahawk slam!
The score was now 31-21!
Then...
The Bucks inbounded the ball from the baseline, but Sessions couldn't get the ball past half-court before Dong snatched it away with a steal.
"Bang!!!"
After the steal, Dong finished with a fast-break dunk!
The score was now 33-21!
The Bucks had to inbound the ball from the baseline again.
"Clap!"
But before the ball reached Sessions, Dong rushed in from the side and stole it again.
Adrien quickly positioned himself under the basket, trying to draw a charge on Dong.
But...
Dong jumped early, just a step away from Adrien, and dunked over him!
The score was now 35-21!
On the third possession, Sessions managed to bring the ball up the court, but as he tried to pass to a teammate, Dong stole the ball again!
After the steal, Dong didn't even look back; he just drove for another fast-break dunk!
Three steals and four dunks, Dong scored 8 consecutive points.
"Oh yeah!"
The home crowd went wild, standing and chanting, "MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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