With All Star big man Anthony Davis sitting out with a bruised calf, Kyle Kuzma stepped up for the Los Angeles Lakers in his absence and helped the team pull off a dominant 127-91 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But after pouring in 20 points on a sizzling 8-of-11 shooting in the first half, Kuzma attempted just one shot in the second half, which was still enough to lead all scorers as six Lakers finished in double figures. After the game, the 25-year-old revealed that he simply wanted to give the Minnesota defense a different look in the second half, according to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.

Aside from his scoring, Kyle Kuzma made his presence felt in other ways, finishing with three rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 29 minutes of play. His maturity and decision to move the ball along didn’t go unnoticed by head coach Frank Vogel, who was all praises for the fourth year player.

Kuzma, who signed a three-year, $40 million extension with the Lakers this past offseason, hit three consecutive triples in the first half to help the defending champions build an early lead that they would not relinquish and extended to as much as 42 in the second half.

The former Utah Ute has scored in double figures in the first three games of the season for the Lakers, which has won two straight after dropping their season opener to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Purple and Gold hopes that Kuzma's strong performances will continue on Monday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers in a rematch of their first round series in the 2020 playoffs