With the league taking the necessary precautionary measures in response to the coronavirus threat in the United States, media personnel are now no longer allowed to enter team locker rooms before and after games. This new policy has been enforced immediately and was already in full effect on Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Brooklyn Nets in Staples Center.
During their postgame interview, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma were asked about their experience of not having reporters inside their locker room prior to the game. As it seems, this turned out to be a welcome development for this Lakers duo.
LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma did their postgame together. They were asked if there was conversation about how no reporters were in the pregame locker room.
LeBron (smiling): You want the honest answer?
Kuzma: We enjoyed it.— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) March 11, 2020
Perhaps the experience of not having anybody else inside the locker room — aside from the team and the coaching staff — resulted in a more focused preparation session for the entire squad. Not having to answer tons of questions prior to the game would have provided the players the luxury of some quiet time before heading to battle.
This new experience, however, did not appear to favor the Lakers, with the team losing out to the Nets, 104-102. Brooklyn was able to hold off the home side and escaped with a tightly-contested two-point victory.
LeBron had another memorable performance, finishing with a game-high 29 points (12-of-22 from the field, 1-of-5 from the line), along with four triples, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and a steal in 35 minutes of action. For his part, Kuzma logged 14 points off L.A.'s bench, with five rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
The Lakers are off on Wednesday but will be back in action on Thursday in a marquee Western Conference matchup against the Houston Rockets.
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