Though they've only been Lakers teammates for a short period of time, it seems JaVale McGee is impressed with Michael Beasley's ability to score the rock.
Beasley, who was celebrating his 30th birthday, logged 19 minutes off the bench in Wednesday night's victory over the Detroit Pistons, scoring 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field (1-of-2 from beyond the arc), four assists, two rebounds and two blocks. 15 of his 19 came in a rousing fourth quarter performance.
Following the game, McGee, who finished with 10 points and five rebounds, had some interesting praise for Beasley's game. As a playful compliment, he called him “a walking bucket.”
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Beasley's 19 points were impressive, but it was Kyle Kuzma who stole the show.
In 29 minutes of action, “Kuz,” as he's come to be known, racked up a career-high 41 points on 16-of-24 shooting (5-of-10 from downtown) and two rebounds. Interestingly, though, Kuzma did not record a single assist. 22 of his points came in the third quarter alone, which puts him in some rare company.
According to ESPN, Kuzma joined Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, James Harden and LeBron James as the only players with 40-plus points in three quarters this season.
“Everything was in the rhythm of the offense,” said Kuzma, who put up 500 shots the day before.
With the win, the Lakers moved to 3-5 without the services of James, who is currently sidelined due to a groin injury. Their next shot at claiming a victory comes on Friday night, when they'll travel to Utah for a matchup against the Jazz.