With the current COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA has transformed its schedule to make traveling across the country less frequent. This unusual decision has seen the same teams play back-to-back games against each other in the same city. Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is apparently a fan of this format, per Harrison Faigen of the Silver Screen and Roll. The 25-year old reasoned that the decrease in flying has benefited their bodies more.
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The Lakers recently played the San Antonio Spurs in back-to-back sets on Wednesday and Friday. The defending champs came out victors in both contests. Their second encounter, which finished with a final score of 109-103, saw a much closer outcome than the first, where the Lakers won by 14 points. In relation to his sentiments, Kuzma also noticed the Spurs made adjustments on Friday as a result of the quick turnaround and this posed a new challenge for Los Angeles.
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San Antonio's tactic seemed to work as the Spurs were on the cusp of avenging their loss on Wednesday night. Los Angeles entered the fourth quarter trailing by four but outscored the Spurs by 10 in the final frame. The Purple and Gold used a furious rally down the stretch, closing the game on a 9-0 run.
Kyle Kuzma made the go-ahead putback shot for the Lakers with under a minute remaining to give them a 105-103 lead. After a defensive stop from Los Angeles, LeBron James, who finished with a triple-double scored on the following possession to deliver the dagger. Anthony Davis, who starred with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, made the insurance free throws to close out the Spurs.