Wednesday marked their fourth game in five nights, each contest in a different city, two each on opposite coasts.
It marked their second game of a back-to-back set, as the Los Angeles Lakers faced the 76ers in Philadelphia the night before.
So the conditions appeared disastrous for Kobe Bryant's weary 37-year-old body, the one with 20 seasons of NBA mileage, injuries that he played through and injuries that stopped him cold ; the body that requires ice baths, massages and more yet, lately, kept stiffening up, especially in his back and legs.
It's also the same body that has finally succumbed to time and all the damage it has endured, leading to so many airballs and other shots wildly off the mark, leaving Bryant with career-worst shooting numbers and the cold, pump-fake-filled reality that he is mortal.