Kyle Kuzma has been one of the few encouraging stories for the Lakers in the Disney bubble, and he just gave them their biggest lift to date. Not only did he score 25 points on 11-of-16 shots, but he beat the game-winning 3-pointer with only 0.4 seconds left in a 124-121 victory over the Denver Nuggets. While the Lakers had nothing to gain by winning the game themselves, the win was an enormous moral victory for a team that started 2-4 in the bubble with the worst offense of any of the 22 invited teams.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, can keep their heads up after their backups went toe-to-toe with the Lakers for the entire fourth quarter. The starters also looked good in their own run, as Michael Porter Jr. no shot was missed on the way to 15 points. The Nuggets remain almost certain to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, while the Lakers have long since lost. 1 have claimed. While this was not exactly a prospect of the playoffs, considering the extensive minutes played by the Denver backup, it was a solid show both sides. The Lakers and Nuggets got exactly what they needed from this game.
1. Kyle Kuzma makes the jump
It finally happens. After three seasons of tease, rumors about trade and premature coronation, Kyle Kuzma is finally growing into the kind of player the Lakers need. Kuzma averaged 13.8 points on 41.9 shots from behind the arc at Disney while playing the best defense of his life, but he took it to another level on Monday. He roasted the Nuggets for 25 points on 11-of-16 shots, culminating with this gem of a game-winner.
The shot came with the outstretched arms of 7-2 Bol Bol in his face. It did nothing. “I think Jesus could be for me and I would probably still shoot,” Kuzma said said after the match. He will not remove this from behind the bow. That would be completely out of line with what he has done throughout his entire career. But he does not have to be a 40 percent shooter with 3 points to be effective in this form. Kuzma finally plays defense. He moves without the ball and has been unstoppable in transition. He found direct chemistry with Dion Waiters from the bench, giving the Lakers some much-needed scoring points while LeBron James is sitting.
It would be too early to call Kuzma the third Lakers “star.” A star is one that can bloom in any setting. Instead, he is the perfect third wheel, one who has learned to fit into the team as built and produce in whatever ways he can to complement James and Anthony Davis. If this is who Kuzma will be in the playoffs, the Lakers should feel much more optimistic about their championships than they did two weeks ago.
Frank Vogel finally sets himself on a rotation
The Lakers have used just about everyone in Orlando. They played 13 players last week against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Season-long benchwarmers Jared Dudley and Quinn Cook have been given real opportunities to earn minutes. JR Smith was like that too. Even rookie Languages Horton-Tucker has seen real run in these seeding games. It made sense from the perspective that the Lakers already had their no. 1-seed had locked up, and their best players didn’t have to run into the ground, but it also made it difficult for those key pieces to develop every rhythm.
Monday answered many questions in that regard. Kuzma stepped up in the starting lineup to replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and after the way he played, he probably would not leave. Dion Waiters was the choice to replace Alex Caruso when he was injured in the morning, suggesting that Vogel ruled on him as his fourth guard. The final piece of the puzzle is removing JaVale McGee from the rotation. The Lakers are outscored in his minutes in all six bubble games in which he has played. Else? The majority of Monday’s rotation will likely be at the core of their first-round series, with Caldwell-Pope replacing the minutes of Horton-Tucker and Markieff Morris.
Denver need not worry about Porter Jr. which fits in with their starters
No, the Nuggets did not have Gary Harris or Will Barton on Monday, but they should be encouraged by the parts that Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray die. There was no shrinkage over shots. The two combined to shoot 12-of-16 from the field, both feeding away from Nikola Jokic’s beautiful passing. Porter, a shooter in his own right, found his shots completely in the stream of crime. That he can create more for himself will be valuable in the playoffs, but last night was more proof that he can coexist with the real starters of Denver, and that he will not be back on the bench anytime soon.
