After the interlude, the game continued!
During a regular offensive possession, Ayton took the ball in the low post with his back to the basket, subtly elbowed Lopez, turned, pressured his defender, and went up for a layup!
"Bang!"
But just as Ayton made his move, a pair of ruthless arms flew out and swatted his shot into the stands.
"Kai Chen blocks Ayton's layup again!"
"What incredible help defense—Kai Chen's coverage is just insane!"
"He's not only a super scorer, he has the ability to compete for this season's DPOY!"
After being blocked, Ayton glared directly at Kai.
Kai glared right back.
"Don't let me see you pull a dirty move like that again!"
With that, Kai turned and went back toward Booker.
"Who the hell do you think you are!?"
Ayton fired back, unwilling to back down. "You're just third place. I'm the real chosen one!"
Even now, Ayton still had absolute confidence in himself.
The Suns inbounded from the baseline. Ayton got it again, threw another iron elbow to clear Lopez, then powered up, turning the layup attempt into a dunk!
"Boom!"
But what stunned Ayton was that just as he rose to finish, Kai Chen rotated over again for the frontal help defense and smashed the ball down with one palm.
The entire Footprint Center erupted.
Ayton, trying to hammer it home with both hands, was stuffed one-handed by Kai and crashed to the floor in exaggerated fashion.
The referee made no call. Kai's hand was cleanly on the ball, and his lower-body contact was legal.
Beverley grabbed possession and started the break.
"This is your lesson!"
Kai didn't join the fast break. He walked up to Ayton and looked at him, "If you try that dirty shit on my teammates again, I guarantee you'll cry!"
Then Kai took a step forward and stepped right over Ayton's head.
"Fuck you!"
Ayton, still on the floor, reached up, trying to flip Kai over. But how could Kai, with maxed-out strength, be moved like that?
Kai extended his own arm and pressed Ayton firmly back to the court.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!!"
Seeing the escalation, the referee rushed in and separated them.
At the same time, the Clippers players who had been running the break abandoned it and sprinted back toward the conflict.
"Fuck you, the fuck do you want to do?"
"Watch your fucking mouth, bitch!"
"You want to fight? Come on, come find me!"
Beverley, Carmelo, and the others shoved Ayton while unleashing a barrage of insults.
Kai, meanwhile, stopped paying attention to him and went toward the sideline to high-five the nearby fans.
"Fuck you!"
"If you've got the guts, come here!"
Ayton looked back and realized he had no teammates behind him. Even someone as tough as he was chose the smarter move.
He retreated toward his own half while still yelling at the Clippers players.
"Oh my goodness, look at Ayton—what a wimp."
In the live broadcast room, NBA Insider couldn't help but mock him. "Ayton, what skills do you have? How dare you provoke Kai Chen?"
"Look how many teammates he's got backing him up."
"Running away while cursing—what a wimp!"
"The Phoenix Suns are simply not on the same level as the Clippers right now."
The officials reviewed the replay, and after discussion, the incident ended with Kai Chen and Ayton each receiving a technical foul.
After that clash, the outcome of the game almost felt secondary.
By the end of the first quarter, the visiting Clippers were already leading the Suns by a full 20 points.
Just as the NBA Insider had said.
The competitive level between the two sides were completely different.
On top of that, Ayton's desperate attempts to prove himself on offense disrupted the team's tactics.
As a result, the Suns scored only 16 points in the first quarter.
"Deandre, what the hell are you doing!?"
During the break, Devin Booker immediately exploded. "Look at what you did in the first quarter!"
"This isn't college. This is the fucking NBA!"
"Can you please stop trying to fight Kai?"
The Suns' head coach also scolded Ayton. "You can't limit Kai on defense, and on offense you're stubborn."
"Defending Kai Chen isn't my job!"
Ayton immediately shifted the blame. "That should be Booker's assignment."
While he had indeed failed to guard Kai, Ayton's ability to pass responsibility was far better than his performance on the court.
Booker was speechless.
It was technically his matchup, but Kai Chen constantly used pick-and-rolls, forcing switches onto Ayton.
In the end, the whole game became a display of the Clippers' absolute dominance.
The crowd still offered warm applause despite the blowout.
Kai Chen's control of Ayton on both ends of the floor satisfied plenty of the home fans.
The Suns' head coach didn't have many expectations for a win anyway.
The roster was full of young players, and Ayton, who had been highly anticipated, kept disappointing.
This season they could only keep tanking, hoping to land another top pick next year to pair with Booker.
Both teams, and even many of the fans, seemed to get what they wanted.
Everyone except Ayton.
After being stuffed repeatedly in the first quarter, he managed a pitiful four points in the first half, all from free throws. A few defensive flashes didn't change the direction of the game.
By the final buzzer, Ayton's stat line read just 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 turnovers.
On the other side, this year's third overall pick, Kai Chen—
In only 26 minutes, he calmly posted 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, along with 4 blocks on defense.
In the end, the visiting Clippers defeated the Phoenix Suns 109-90.
They claimed their sixth straight win while handing the Suns their fifth consecutive loss!
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