Tough guy! A Lakers player suffered a finger dislocation but played through the injury! Against the Bulls, the win probability stands at 58.4%.

Yesterday, the Lakers fell apart in the third quarter, losing it by 21 points and enduring a 16-0 scoring run from the other side. Many fans believed the Lakers were done for, but in the fourth quarter, that man rose once more, going 5-for-7 with a perfect three-pointer, tallying 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block to guide the team to a tough win.

Is this really the jumping height expected from a 41-year-old? He almost completed an alley-oop dunk over a defender—unbelievable.

With 6:55 left in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks led 102-87, and their chance of winning was at 98.8%. Then the Lakers suddenly woke up, launching a powerful 29-8 run to overturn the game.

LeBron knew he was especially fierce in the fourth quarter, so after the game he spoke frankly, saying he could elevate the game to another level, especially in the last quarter: “Without a doubt, I can do it. I have always been the cornerstone and leader on our defensive end.”

Then, LeBron also praised his younger teammate Doncic: “The key thing is that he’s more comfortable now. This year, he’s clearly more adapted. He understands this is his team. So we all play around him. And tonight, he clearly showed why he’s such a player.”

Doncic, in an interview, talked about whether he, LeBron, and Reeves can all perform well together: “Absolutely. When the three of us are on the court, we share the ball, just like in the fourth quarter today. I think we played great basketball, defended well, and stayed aggressive.”

Doncic has indeed learned to share the ball more recently, as the coaching staff has asked him to do so. After the game, he responded: “The ball has been shared; I only took 15 shots.”

Hachimura performed excellently yesterday, especially scoring 7 points in the fourth quarter, creating momentum. So far this season, when Hachimura scores 15 or more in a game, the Lakers have a 9-1 record. LeBron commented on Hachimura’s performance: “I told him to make the shots he missed in the fourth quarter against the Clippers tonight. Even while eating, I kept reminding him. So he really delivered tonight; he’s definitely a key player.”

Another key figure deserves attention. NBA reporter Mike Trudell reported that Smart suffered a dislocation of his right index finger (which had been surgically repaired before) in the fourth quarter yesterday, but he refused to leave the game. Instead, he bent down and manually popped his finger back into place, then received bandaging and ice treatment after the game.

What a tough guy—he manually reset his dislocated finger and kept playing. That’s real Lakers spirit. Although Smart sometimes makes puzzling mistakes due to mental lapses, his relentless professionalism in fighting for every ball is unquestionable.

The Lakers will play the Bulls on the road tomorrow. LaRavia has a left quadriceps contusion and is doubtful for the game. So far this season, LaRavia is the only Lakers player to have played every game.

Chicago has recently been hit by severe cold and snowstorms, with temperatures dropping below minus 10 degrees, the city covered in snow, and lakes frozen. The Lakers’ flight was delayed, but they arrived in Chicago before 7 PM Central Time, ready for tomorrow’s game.

The Bulls currently rank ninth in the Eastern Conference. ESPN predicts the Lakers’ win probability at 58.4%, indicating tomorrow’s game will likely be a close contest. However, this season, the Lakers have generally played evenly matched games against most teams, so let’s wait and see.