After the opponent scored, teammates who instinctively glanced at the bench saw Del Harris's composure and Zhang Hao's calmness, which reassured them, allowing them to play with patience.
An 8-point gap, the Warriors' stars played well tonight, meaning that the stars can always step up when a score is needed, making it difficult for the Lakers to catch up.
However, Zhang Hao's patience paid off, and at 5:37 in the fourth quarter, Van Exel found his touch and hit a three-pointer!
Soon after, at 6:02, Van Exel hit another three-pointer, reducing the gap to just 4 points!
Then, Warriors' Joe Smith missed a baseline jump shot, a switch in offense and defense saw Van Exel advance to the frontcourt, feigning another shot to draw a double team, and passed to the nearby Donyell Marshall, who showed no mercy against his former team, hitting a three-pointer!
This 9 to 2 run helped the Lakers close the score to 101 to 103, narrowing the gap to two points! The Warriors called a timeout!
