Zhang Hao caught the ball mid-range on the left baseline, and Joe Smith immediately came up to double-team, forcefully elbowing Zhang Hao in the ribs... such a sinister little move!

Originally intent on passing the ball, Zhang Hao decided against it, suppressing his anger, and raised his arms, turning directly!

Joe Smith was feeling proud that the referee wouldn’t notice his sneaky move, when suddenly he saw the fellow draft class number nine pick spiraling around, that slender arm swinging over, Joe Smith fearlessly braced himself to withstand it... "F..."

When Zhang Hao’s arm struck his chest, Joe Smith couldn’t even finish a word before retreating two steps.

Zhang Hao, after turning, dribbled towards the paint!

The Magician, originally moving from the left side of the free-throw line towards a close-range position to be ready, quickly ran away, as Zhang Hao drove under the basket. Ronnie Seikaly was still struggling and shoving with Campbell, hearing the exclamations from fans near the baseline, he turned his head... everything went black...

"Ah..."

"Bang..."

Accompanied by Ronnie Seikaly’s cry, Zhang Hao slammed the ball into the basket!

Zhang Hao’s impact wasn’t actually that strong, but Campbell was squeezing Seikaly from the other side of the three-second area, leaving the unlucky Warriors center feeling nearly ready to vomit at that moment!

At this moment, the referee blew the whistle. Seikaly instinctively grabbed Zhang Hao’s jersey during the dunk—a clearly dangerous move—but without substantial harm, so only a regular foul was called.

After completing the dunk and landing, Seikaly, having his head hit, almost vomited, turning around and continuously patting his head against the cushion on the stand.

Watching Joe Smith rubbing his chest and taking deep breaths and seeing Seikaly patting his head on the cushion—how brutal can this get! Not only did the fans at the site, but even the Lakers players felt this play was brutal.

Even though only Zhang Hao’s shove on Joe Smith was actually brutal, the rest was purely coincidental, but from an observational standpoint, this play was truly brutal!

Meanwhile, the thin scoring forward Jerome Kersey, who was brought down by Zhang Hao’s swinging arm and fell outside the court, felt a sense of resentment—nobody even noticed him!

He was in pain, alright!

Although Madman is proud and egotistical, often unaware of himself, even his teammates want to avoid him due to his personality, but he has the heart to be a leader, actively caring about the seemingly miserable Seikaly before Zhang Hao takes his free throw.

Over at Zhang Hao’s side, just about to walk from the baseline to the free-throw line, upon seeing the two little braids in front of him, he impulsively flicked them with his fingers...

Ready to check on Seikaly, Spree, feeling someone flick his braids, couldn’t tolerate it. An angry Madman didn’t care who it was and turned to shove.

The baseline referee, having kept his eyes on Zhang Hao, quickly rushed over to intervene, while Zhang Hao’s teammates hurriedly surrounded him.

Madman, still not entirely out of control, realized it was just a rookie he pushed; seeing Zhang Hao’s innocent face... such a mischievous kid deserves a spanking!

Forget it, it’s the holiday season, and he’s just a child. Madman dismissed the matter, unwilling to stoop to the level of a brat.

Madman actually refrained from further action! This surprised the referee and teammates, as Madman was the type to take on Malone head-to-head; he gets even more excited when opponents look ferocious.

Lakers players breathed a sigh of relief. The notorious genius swingman hasn’t missed even one game due to injury so far in his rookie season but has been suspended for 18 games due to fighting—his reputation precedes him.

A minor conflict, no big deal; the ref opted not to penalize, just warning Zhang Hao.

Watching Zhang Hao emotionlessly step onto the free-throw line for the extra shot, the Magician sighed: "Our rookie sure is a troublemaker! How many people has he offended now? Can’t he be a little less conspicuous?"

At such times, the Magician always recalls his dear friend, the greatest rival in the team’s history.

Zhang Hao himself wished he could smack himself—why couldn’t he hold back just now?

He thought he merely succumbed to a man’s typical error—what man could resist flicking a little braid upon seeing it?

Extra shot missed, Joe Smith grabbed the defensive rebound, and Zhang Hao quickly retreated on defense, feeling three hostile gazes upon him, initially assuming they’d be from Joe Smith, Ronnie Seikaly, and Madman.

But Madman, moving to the frontline with surprising calmness, resumed seeking Jerome Kersey for a screen, determined to target Mr. Zhang, very composed...

Zhang Hao realized that the hostile, even resentful gaze came from the veteran Jerome Kersey, whom Mr. Zhang was supposed to guard!

"Such a strange guy; does he get along well with the top pick?"

Ignoring the veteran, Zhang Hao concentrated on guarding Madman... couldn’t stop him—Madman used Kersey’s screen effectively, then single-handedly attacked Zhang Hao, made a stop and popped from the mid-range, scoring!

In terms of individual ability, the Warriors’ lineup was impressive offensively: Joe Smith with his excellent mid-range spacing capability, Jerome Kersey, though thin and aged, shrewdly penetrates well after screens, BJ Armstrong boasts an amazing 47% three-point shooting for strong perimeter threats...

The Warriors have won 18 games this season primarily through sheer individual talent, without much tactical influence—this is indeed impressive. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A few possessions later, the Lakers played decently; the Warriors tried hard defensively to deal with Adelman, yet to little effect. But the only problem was as soon as Zhang Hao received the ball, the opposing pair of forwards double-teamed him like madmen... eventually, the Magician started directing Zhang Hao’s movements upon taking possession.

Finally, at 4 minutes and 48 seconds into the first quarter, after Zhang Hao maneuvered past the baseline to face Joe Smith’s switch, he found a one-on-one opportunity to receive the ball!

Without hesitation, Zhang Hao, facing Joe Smith’s highly mobile defense, caught the ball and executed a turnaround fadeaway... scored!

Scoring 4 points in the opening minute, then going scoreless for over 3 minutes... finally scored, reminding Zhang Hao of one thing...

Every eye was focused on Zhang Hao’s shot, whether teammates or opponents, seeing him catch the ball and turn for a fadeaway, nailing it. He didn’t just retreat as before; proudly pounding his chest, he jogged back with determination!