Getty Images Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kyle Kuzma had the internet buzzing for all the wrong reasons on Monday during a blowout of the Golden State Warriors, airballing a technical free throw in the first half.
After the elbow of Warriors rookie James Wiseman struck the chin of Los Angeles Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell, Kuzma was picked by his team to take the technical free throw. But Kuzma — who is shooting a career-worst 65.9% from the charity stripe — missed everything, going way wide on the attempt.
The Warriors bench went wild roasting Kuzma, who couldn’t help but crack a smile himself.
here’s Kuzma’s from tonight.
if you have any tips, the snitch hotline is open.
As noted on the ESPN broadcast, seeing a technical free ball being airballed is a rare event, considering the team picks who shoots. Kuzma, however, had a good excuse for why he missed so bad.
“San Francisco had a 3.5 magnitude earthquake,” Kuzma said according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “S–t started rumbling. I don’t know. I got scared, and it went far off to the left.”
Kyle Kuzma on air-balling the technical foul FT: “San Francisco had a 3.5 magnitude earthquake. Shit started rumbling. I don’t know. I got scared, and it went far off to the left.”
If those wondering, there was no seismic activity in near San Francisco during the game. So maybe it was the worst free throw attempt of all-time, but at least Kuzma was able to drop a proper quote to accompany it.
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Kuzma Has Been Extra-Quoteable Since All-Star Break
Getty ImagesKyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kuzma has come out of the All-Star break on fire, both on the court and in his press conferences. The 25-year-old had another quote about LeBron James go viral after he dropped 24 points and 13 rebounds against the Pacers. He found a unique way to describe a clutch play down the stretch.
“Yeah, we were looking at each other the entire possession,” Kuzma said. “I was pretty much eye f—ing him to pass me the ball. He found me and I made the shot.”
I had to clip this Kyle Kuzma (@kylekuzma) quote because it is absolutely PRICELESS!! (Question by @mcten and funny reaction by @DanWoikeSports) – I couldn’t keep it together. Too funny!
On a more serious note, Kuzma has been instrumental to the Lakers’ success as they deal with a bevy of injuries to key players like Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol and Alex Caruso. Over the last three games, he’s averaging 22 points and 10.3 rebounds and is shooting 47.6 from beyond the arc.
Talen Horton-Tucker Scores Career-High Against Warriors
Getty ImagesTalen Horton-Tucker of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Four other Lakers joined Kuzma in double-figures in the win against the Warriors, including second-year standout Talen Horton-Tucker, who scored a career-high 18 points. THT sliced through the defense and was able to get to the rim at will, hitting seven of his 10 shots. He also doled out 10 assists, well above his 2.2 average.
“He’s a sponge. When you talk to him, you can tell it’s getting stored and he applies it on the floor,” LeBron James said of Horton-Tucker. “This is basically his rookie season, he’s going to learn from his mistakes and we’re okay with that.”
Horton-Tucker said having Kuzma and Harrell on his side off the bench has helped his development.
“It makes my job easier,” Horton-Tucker said. “I feel confident when I’m out there with them.”
“It makes my job easier…I feel confident when I’m out there with them.” @Thortontucker with @LakersReporter on sharing the scoring load with Kuz & Trezz tonight. #LakeShow
The Lakers will look to run their win streak to three as they take on the struggling Timberwolves on Tuesday in the second half of a back-to-back.
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