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After a hard-fought 122-112 overtime win last night, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to sweep their regular season series against the San Antonio Spurs for the first time in 20 years, according to Chris Geeter McGee of Spectrum Sports Network.
The Lakers ousted a victory-thirsty Spurs teams fighting for playoff position and handed them a second straight loss, thanks to rookie Kyle Kuzma and an inspired 30-point night on 11-of-23 shooting from the floor.
It's hard to believe that the last time the purple-and-gold had swept the Spurs was during the very start of their dynasty — as part of Shaquille O'Neal's second season with the Lakers, winning by seven or more points in each of the four games during the 1997-98 season.
The Lakers relied on their second unit to get them back in the game, trailing by eight points in the third quarter, but it was Kuzma who put the finishing touches, drilling a 3-pointer to start the overtime period, as well as a hook shot to put them ahead early — a lead they wouldn't relinquish, outscoring their Western Conference rivals 14-4 in the extra period.
“Tonight I could tell he wasn't going to ask to come out of that game. He was going to fight through it,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said, according to The Associated Press. “Kuz, it's fun watching him compete at that level when he gets in that zone.”
Kuzma became the first rookie in NBA history with 1,200 points, 450 rebounds, and 150 threes in a season, as well as the first franchise rookie to have four 30-point games since legend Magic Johnson.
