Bogut's Provocation, Another New Badge!

As the timer's red light came on, the basketball hit the backboard and dropped into the hoop.

Zhou Ze had made his eighth three-pointer of the game!!!

He had broken the long-standing NBA record for most three-pointers in a single quarter!

This was already the second three-point record Zhou Ze had broken. The last one had been the record for most three-pointers in a half.

As for the regular-season record for most three-pointers in a single game, only Kobe and Donyell Marshall's mark of twelve remained.

The moment the ball went in, the Lakers bench whipped their towels around like a tidal wave.

Even Vujacic, who was extremely displeased with Zhou Ze, could only swallow his frustration and join the other teammates.

The Lakers players on the court rushed toward Zhou Ze immediately, but Zhou Ze collapsed first.

"Oh no, Zhou, his left leg is cramping." Kwame Brown, the first to reach him, noticed the spasm in Zhou Ze's calf. He quickly helped him take off his shoe and pulled his big toe upward.

Kobe came over to help as well, loosening Zhou Ze's muscles.

Grimacing in pain, Zhou Ze was helped back to the bench by his teammates.

The Lakers' medical staff rushed over and gave Zhou Ze's cramped left leg professional treatment.

Altitude sickness, excessive physical exertion, and too heavy a game load—Zhou Ze, with 94 stamina and only 70 injury resistance, had cramped up from exhaustion.

"Tomato!" When Zhou Ze learned that he would not be allowed back into the game, he was so furious that he wanted to elbow the bench.

Eight three-pointers in a single quarter!

He only needed five more to tie Kobe.

But for Zhou Ze's health, the medical staff and coaching team firmly kept him on the bench. He would also undergo a more thorough examination after the game.

119:103. The Lakers effortlessly defeated the Utah Jazz, who were without two key players, by 16 points.

Kobe casually put up 29 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.

Zhou Ze's numbers tonight were outrageous: 24 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks. Looking at the stat line alone, no one would have guessed that he was an interior player.

For a legitimate 206cm big man to play 12 minutes and grab zero rebounds was truly not easy.

Of course, it was not that Zhou Ze had been unwilling to fight for them. His luck had simply been poor, and he could not quite outmuscle them either.

The Jazz had deployed twin towers inside tonight—218cm white bear Greg Ostertag and 211cm Mehmet Okur. Whenever Zhou Ze failed to establish good rebounding position, there was truly nothing he could do.

And tonight, the rebounds just happened to avoid coming his way. Of course, that was also related to Zhou Ze having played only one quarter.

[Post-Game Reward: 96 Peak Points]

[Peak Points: 213/5584]

Zhou Ze spent 200 Peak Points on a draw and received 1 random attribute point. The system added it to [Release Speed], raising it to 83 (125).

After the game, the issue the media reporters cared about most was Zhou Ze's health.

The Lakers' official response was: Zhou Ze was currently fine, but he was expected to rest and remain under observation for three days.

That meant Zhou Ze would miss the next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On the same day they defeated the Utah Jazz and Zhou Ze suffered a cramp in his left leg, the NBA's weekly awards were announced.

The three games from last month and this game had all fallen within the same week.

By defeating the Charlotte Hornets led by Chris Paul and breaking the NBA single-quarter three-point record in front of Deron Williams's team, Zhou Ze had taken down both members of the 2005 point guard twin stars.

Thus, there was naturally no suspense over the Western Conference Rookie of the Week award.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for receiving Western Conference Rookie of the Week. Reward: 300 Peak Points]

[Peak Points: 313/5884]

When Zhou Ze chose to draw again, he was delighted to discover that he had obtained a new badge.

[Jump Master (Bronze)] Function Description:

1. Slightly improves the ability to make a second jump after landing.

2. To advance to the next stage (Silver), 2,000 Peak Points are required.

When you encounter advertisements such as "Are you a real person?", simply ignore and close them. Do not scan codes or send text messages!

Zhou Ze was instantly speechless.

Jump Master improved his ability to jump again after landing. Whether it was help defense on the defensive end, fighting for offensive rebounds, or making second-chance attacks, it would be quite useful. However, the upgrade method made Zhou Ze's heart ache.

Other badges only required him to "grind experience," but [Jump Master] demanded his hard-earned Peak Points.

After all, even when he won a game and put up decent numbers, he earned fewer than two hundred Peak Points.

As for upgrading the badge, Zhou Ze decided to put it aside for now and prioritize improving his base attributes.

He hoped the random attributes from the next few draws would increase [Injury Resistance].

"Ah..."

"My body is just so frail."

Zhou Ze looked at his thick thighs and lamented bitterly.

Zhou Ze was actually quite lucky. With an Injury Resistance of only 70, it had turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary cramp.

Still, the Lakers management made Zhou Ze sit out a game.

The game against the Minnesota Timberwolves was held on the Lakers' home court. Although the Timberwolves were no longer as formidable as they had once been, the Big Ticket, Garnett, was still there.

Without Zhou Ze, the Lakers' spacing was clearly lacking. Garnett could defend farther out on the perimeter with much less concern, and Kobe was noticeably affected.

113 to 108. The Minnesota Timberwolves ultimately avenged their previous loss to the Lakers with a five-point win.

After winning, Garnett did not forget to head over to the Lakers' bench and check in on Zhou Ze, who was dressed sharply in a suit.

"KG, today is a day worth celebrating for you," Zhou Ze said.

"Rookie, you mean you didn't play, so that's why I managed to win?" Having dealt with Zhou Ze before, Garnett had more or less figured out his nature.

After saying that, the two looked at each other and laughed, spreading their arms before embracing.

"Huh... this guy's arms..."

"Am I seeing things?"

Garnett froze slightly. The instant he spread his arms, he noticed that this guy's wingspan seemed to have gotten longer.

The thought passed in an instant. It was too absurd. Even if Zhou Ze was only nineteen, how could his wingspan undergo an obvious change in less than a month?

Garnett did not dwell on it.

On the day Zhou Ze missed the game, the NBA was still quite lively.

The Lakers lost, but his teammate Vujacic delivered his best performance of the new season, putting up 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

It emboldened him enough to dare meet Zhou Ze's gaze in the locker room.

Kenny Smith fulfilled his promise on TNT and kissed the male donkey Charles Barkley had picked out. No one knew what Barkley had fed the donkey, but after its rear was kissed, it instantly turned into a spraying warrior and slapped a foul-smelling, chunky face mask onto Kenny Smith's face.

And then there was...

the game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Andrew Bogut, the newly crowned first overall pick, recorded a season-high 19 points and 13 rebounds for a huge double-double. When asked by reporters about the Rookie MVP battle between himself and Zhou Ze, he said, "I don't want people comparing me to that softie. It's an insult to me."

"I'm not like that weak-legged shrimp who only shoots threes."

"I hope he plays in the game the day after tomorrow!!!"

Besides taunting him verbally, Bogut even imitated the way Zhou Ze had looked when his left leg cramped up.

The Lakers' next opponent was the Milwaukee Bucks, home to the newly crowned first overall pick.

"Really?"

"Maria, are you really coming to watch our game against the Bucks?"

"Okay, okay. Don't worry, I'll get you tickets."

When Vujacic learned that his unrequited love, "Maria Sharapova," would be coming to the Lakers arena, he was beside himself with joy over the phone.