In the second quarter, the Lakers’ scoring momentum declined significantly, scoring only 27 points, but fortunately, the Celtics also only managed 25 points. The Lakers entered the second half with a 3-point lead at 58-55.

In the third quarter, the gap appeared. The Lakers, maintaining their hot offensive form, scored 32 to 20, extending the lead to 15 points, entering the final quarter ahead 90-75.

Charge forward! The Lakers continued their surge in the fourth quarter, having their best offensive quarter of the game with 34 points. The Celtics also had their best quarter with 32 points, but it still wasn’t enough!

Ultimately, in this scoring duel, the Lakers comfortably defeated the Celtics 124-107, securing an impressive 14-game winning streak!

Zhang Hao, after several games, once again scored over 30 points, with 12 of 21 shooting, 2 of 5 from three-point range, and a perfect 5 of 5 on free throws, tallying 31 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.

His teammates previously noticed that Zhang Hao seems to get excited whenever he plays against the Celtics...

This is a true Laker!

Because the Celtics neither have high draft picks nor have they ever said anything bad about Mr. Zhang. Bill Walton even praised him, and Russell lauded him for breaking Chamberlain’s records...

Aside from being die-hard Lakers fans, the teammates couldn’t figure out why Zhang Hao played with such vigor against the Celtics!

...

...

"Remaining lifespan: 802 days, usable lifespan: 801 days."

The winning streak really feels great!

After the game against the Celtics, the next day, Zhang Hao flew with the team from Boston to Philadelphia.

On the plane, Zhang Hao looked at the 11 days of lifespan he gained from last night’s game and felt that winning streaks are just fantastic! During this time, no new tasks were triggered, but the game reviews and simulation practice consumed days, yet his remaining lifespan reached a new high.

Wang Zhizhi also contributed 9 days of lifespan during this period.

"The intensity of college games compared to the NBA is much lower. If you were to change your play style drastically like Wang Zhizhi in the NBA, you’d probably struggle, yet Wang Zhizhi played quite well... However, the NCAA is indeed more suitable for growth, no wonder so many talents in this era play until their junior year or even graduate before entering the draft.

But in the coming years, with NBA salaries soaring, college players in the NCAA will probably find it harder to stay..."

Zhang Hao remembered seeing a news article about the NBA’s history. After the 2006 NBA labor negotiations, the salary for the last pick of the first round was set at $1.03 million, marking the era when entering the first round of the draft meant becoming a millionaire instantly.

Starting that year, it became rare to see lottery picks remain in college past their freshman year before entering the NBA. It was also the year the NBA stopped allowing high schoolers to enter the draft.

Putting aside his random thoughts, Zhang Hao suddenly recalled the news he saw this morning—the Bulls secured their 17th consecutive win last night, and tonight they would play their 42nd game of the season, currently holding a 36-5 record. Since their last loss to the Lakers, the Bulls haven’t lost in 17 games, averaging an 18.7 point margin of victory per game, simply unstoppable.

Zhang Hao rummaged through his bag, taking out the cross given to him by Pierce’s mother to ward off evil spirits, and started to pray devoutly...

The Magician played cards with the young guys for a while, and besides his not-so-good luck on the bed, he usually has good luck, winning round after round, until an enraged James Worthy chased him away.

Returning to the front row seat, the Magician saw Zhang Hao praying next to him and curiously asked, "Aix, what are you praying for?"

Zhang Hao replied, "I am praying for God to let the Bulls lose today... Is Jesus God?"

"..." The Magician was speechless.

Did the Bulls ever offend you? They keep losing to you! Aren’t you glad they haven’t cursed you like Satan? Yet you pray to God for them to lose?

Moreover... The Magician reluctantly replied, "Jesus is the Son of God; God is Yehowa."

"..." Zhang Hao silently put away the cross, thinking about praying to the Jade Emperor or Daoist Lord of Heaven, unsure if they govern matters in the United States.

However, the Magician also wanted to see the Bulls lose; if they win again, it will be an 18-game winning streak! 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

As expected, four North American TV stations announced this morning they would air the Bulls vs. Nuggets game, reclaiming the top news spot this morning for the Bulls.

The Magician analyzed, "The Bulls will probably find it tough to lose; their opponents are the Nuggets, and for the Nuggets to beat the Bulls is incredibly difficult..."

...

That night, the Magician was slapped in the face watching the Nuggets lead the Bulls by 14 points with a 34-20 first quarter, leading by 11 points with a 34-23 second quarter, and closing the half with a 68-43 lead. It felt humiliating.

The Bulls bounced back in the third quarter, with Jordan, who scored only 3 points in 0 of 8 shooting in the first half, securing 21 points in the third quarter with 8 of 9 shooting and 5 of 5 free throws. He led the Bulls to a signature frenzied performance, scoring 39 points in the quarter and limiting the Nuggets to just 13 points, overturning the terrifying 25-point deficit in a single quarter!

But in the final quarter, having won for so long and exerted so much strength, the Bulls were fading after that intense quarter.

Despite Jordan scoring 15 points in the final quarter, the Bulls as a whole only scored 17 points, while the Nuggets secured 21 points. Jordan couldn’t do it all alone, and the Nuggets narrowly defeated the Bulls 102-99, ending the Bulls’ 17-game winning streak!

The Magician, having thought he dodged embarrassment, had just told Zhang Hao on the phone that the Bulls were about to turn the game around, and then the embarrassment doubled down!

"Does praying really work? Hell, that kid prayed to the wrong god!"

The Magician felt that Zhang Hao’s words were almost like a prophecy!

On the other side, Zhang Hao felt like crying tears of joy seeing the Bulls lose...

The Bulls finally lost! Had they kept winning like this, Zhang Hao wouldn’t know how to catch up!

However, considering the 17-game winning streak... it means he needs 18 consecutive wins to complete that task.

Zhang Hao flipped through the team handbook to check the schedule.

"Let’s see, next up is the 76ers, then the Brooklyn Nets, which should be manageable, followed by the Warriors, which is also okay. The remaining three games of this month aren’t too challenging, but I can’t be careless; the weaker the opponent, the more cautious I need to be. Getting tripped by a small mistake is usually due to carelessness... Let me check the schedule for next month... Oh my God!"

Zhang Hao saw that February’s first opponent was fated to explode!

"This crazy task, it’s intentional! It’s all calculated! Where’s the justice! 17 wins in a row and then right against the Bulls!"