In the absence of Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers to a win over the Indiana Pacers. This was despite LeBron James having a bad game.
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After having 3 really bad quarters through which he went 3-of-10, Kuz exploded in the 4th. He finished the night with 24 points and 13 rebounds, effectively filling into AD’s shoes admirably.
The Pacers have only themselves to blame for this defeat. They were able to hold the Lakers’ offense to a bad shooting night, but their own efforts on that end were quite sub-par. Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis had the ball too much in their hands.
“We need him to make shots, especially in the absence of A.D.,” LeBron James said of Kuzma. “And tonight was an example of that.”
Kyle Kuzma talks about eye-f***ing LeBron James for a pass
Kuzma scored 10 of the Lakers’ 12 points as they went from one bucket down to a five-point lead in the 4th quarter. LeBron, who had a torrid shooting night (5-of-13), kept hunting for Kuzma’s hot hand.
James assisted back-to-back 3-pointers by Kuz as the Lakers took control of the game for the first time all evening. Kuzma talked about one particular play with some ‘carefully chosen’ words:
“We were looking at each other the entire possession,” Kuzma said. “I was pretty much eye-(expletive) him to pass me the ball.”
It was good that Kuzma came good on a night when none of the scorers on the floor seemed to be able to buy a bucket. Malcolm Brogdon, who began the first quarter with 18 points on his own, cooled off significantly later on.
