First and foremost, the Lakers understood the assignment playing against a very shorthanded version of a very bad New Orleans Pelicans squad. Come out fast, build a lead, and don't put yourself in position to give one away. 

And that's what the Lakers did, finishing the first quarter with a 19-point lead, en route to a 133-121 win. 

Luka Dončić finished with 34/12/7 on 9-22 from the floor. Austin Reaves had 33 points, on a highly efficient 9-15 shooting (including 4-7 from 3-point range), along with five rebounds and eight assists. Deandre Ayton, who did leave the game late after bumping knees down on the block, was fantastic, making seven of his nine shots as part of a 22-point, 12 rebound effort that also included four blocked shots. (LeBron James sat out the first night of the back-to-back, and is expected to play Monday vs. Phoenix.) 

If there's a downside, it's that the Lakers, after building that significant lead, clearly threw it into cruise control. The lead never got back to single digits, but it also wasn't stretched out to the point where guys like Luka and Reaves could spend the fourth quarter in their sweats, getting an early start on their postgame maintenance work. With a game coming Monday against a surprisingly good Suns squad, that extra rest could have been beneficial. 

Can't imagine the overall product impressed JJ Redick all that much, and the Lakers don't get high marks for going above and beyond, but they did play 48 minutes of unthreatened NBA basketball, have now won seven in a row.

Hard to complain too much. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers start hot, stay in control to beat Pelicans. 

 

SEGMENT 2: No LeBron Sunday, expected to play Monday — Lakers send some signals on how they'll approach LBJ's health. 

 

SEGMENT 3: Austin and Luka continue to thrive. 

 

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