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Lakers bench distracts Enes Kanter during FT attempt
The ol' towel defense worked on Enes Kanter. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers came into Friday night’s matchup versus the Portland Trail Blazers looking to snap a four-game losing streak.

Amazingly enough, L.A. prevailed, emerging from the outing with a 102-93 victory. LeBron James finished with 28 points on the day, while Dennis Schröder chipped in 22 in his return to the lineup.

Although the game was interesting, in the grand scheme of a long season, it doesn’t mean much. Because of that, it’s unsurprising that the main viral takeaway from the evening proved to be a humorous moment that occurred on the Lakers’ bench.

With Blazers big man Enes Kanter at the free-throw line to shoot two free throws, L.A. backup Kostas Antetokounmpo decided to play a little defense.

Antetokounmpo waited as Kanter was about to put up a shot, and then right as the Portland center was going for it, he perfectly timed a towel throw to teammate Jared Dudley.

How much did this move contribute to the Lakers’ eventual victory? Lots, obviously.

In all seriousness, this has been a tough couple of weeks for the Lakers. Between Anthony Davis’ injury, the losing streak, James’ dwindling MVP prospects and seemingly never-ending trade rumors, it’s good to see that LA isn’t taking early-season turmoil too seriously.

If you can have fun on the bench when things aren’t going well, it’s a testament to your team’s mental fortitude and overall ability to withstand inevitable tough times.

This article first appeared on Game 7 and was syndicated with permission.

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