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During the closing seconds of the first quarter in a game the Los Angeles Lakers would ultimately win against the New Orleans Pelicans, Kyle Kuzma took what at first appeared guaranteed to be his biggest heat check of the night: An off-the-backboard, full-court heave of a pass that Anthony Davis was able to convert for a layup on the break:
Kuz was actually mic'd up on that last pass pic.twitter.com/LyjGq7FmKM
— Silver Screen & Roll (@LakersSBN) November 28, 2019
Improbably, that would not ultimately be Kuzma’s biggest dagger of the night. Nor would either of the two huge threes he hit down the stretch — before ultimately finishing 6-8 overall and 4-4 from distance — as the Lakers came from behind to beat the Pelicans.
No, Kuzma’s biggest shot would come after the game, when he absolutely destroyed the Pelicans’ roster and their fans in 14 efficient words:
Kyle Kuzma: “New Orleans fans should probably boo their own team for letting him get 40.”
— Bill Oram (@billoram) November 28, 2019
Good lord. I’m honestly surprised that Kevin Harlan didn’t spontaneously appear to scream “WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE” after Kuzma dropped that quote. My goodness. Some of those guys were your former teammates, Kyle.
Kuzma was of course referring to the torrential downpour of boos Davis received in his first game back in New Orleans since being traded to Los Angeles, and how Davis overcame to them to finish with 41 points, 9 rebounds, a game-winning steal and a victory in his return. Thanks to those heroics from Davis, an equally strong effort from teammate LeBron James and the aforementioned solid game from Kuzma, the Lakers are now riding a nine-game winning streak into Thanksgiving.
Evidently that streak — plus their NBA-best 16-2 record — has the Lakers in a good mood, and it sounds like everyone is invited for a roast as a result. It’s just not turkey Kuzma is roasting. It’s anyone trying to guard (or boo) his superstar teammate.
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