Los Angeles Lakers leave Mavericks some Christmas Coal in win!

The Los Angeles Lakers made sure their fans had a very Merry Christmas!

The Los Angeles Lakers played the fourth game of a five game Christmas tradition docket against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers eliminated the slow start narrative as they handled the Mavericks in a very comfortable win. The team gave Lakers Nation a preview of potential dominance throughout the roster.

The NBA tried to market a duel between Luka Doncic and LeBron James for Christmas, but what happened was the Los Angeles Lakers fans got to watch their new free agency toys under the Christmas tree. Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder walked the dog with the Dallas Mavericks and put on a production for what the rest of the NBA can look forward to even if LeBron James and Anthony Davis takes the foot off the pedal. The Lakers glided to a 138-115 victory.

The Lakers stopped their habit of spotting double digit leads like they did in the preseason and their opening loss against the Clippers. Some will say Kristaps Porzingis being out contributed to the win, but the reality is the Lake Show beat up the Mavericks led by Montrezl Harrell.

The Mavericks front line looked soft as AD, Harrell and the rest of the front line played volleyball on the glass. Six Lakers had 6 rebounds or more. When Boban Marjanovic was brought in the fourth quarter to give some resemblance of size, it still didn’t matter.

The Good:

The Los Angeles Lakers. The talent that is on this team is ridiculous. To be honest, the Lake Show weren’t really sharp. But the Dallas Mavericks didn’t have the firepower to keep up. There was a lot of hype about Luka Doncic having a big day, but he was pretty much contained. He got numbers but it was not nearly enough. His teammates were pretty much left in check.

LeBron James set the tone early. No long 3 point shots to start, but taking the ball to the rim strong to expose the Mavericks lack of front court size. LeBron James is the leader and the point guard. If he plays like he did opening night, the Lakers lose. If he’s aggressive, this is what happens on most nights.

Anthony Davis followed LeBron’s lead by playing aggressive early. He almost matched opening night’s scoring output in the first half. Had he not taken that Trey Burke shot in the mouth, he could have easily scored 30 points.

Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell had monster games. The newcomers continue to impress with their intensity and scoring. They combined for 40 points and neutralized what Doncic brought to the table.

Rebounding was pretty much why this game was a blowout. The Lakers shot lights out (56 percent!) but when they outrebound opponents 53-27, there’s really no hope.

The 3 point shooting of the Lakers were off the charts. Shooting 19-39 from the land of the extra point is potentially another weapon that makes this team lethal.

The Bad:

Nobody wants to leave their families to go to work in society. These NBA players are human beings too. If anyone saw the ring ceremonies on opening night, it was plainly clear that family is deeply ingrained in this franchise. But Lakers Nation and all NBA fans should be thankful not only for the players and coaches that had to work, but the broadcast teams that work hard behind the scenes to bring NBA basketball all day into the late Christmas night after the Los Angeles Clippers play the Denver Nuggets. It looks like glitz and glamour, but it really is hard work.

This is really nit picking, but the turnovers have to be cut back some. Sure the Lakers were playing cat and mouse the whole game, but it allowed the Mavericks to make small runs here and there.

The Story:

As long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis comes out of the gate with aggression, the Los Angeles Lakers will be very tough to beat. In the opening game, both superstars tended to coast along and the offense suffered. When both players looked to take the ball to the basket and look for their offense, the Dallas Mavericks defense melted under the pressure. Then the pressure transferred to the defensive end where they turned Dallas over for 10 easy fast break points in the opening frame like this one right here.

This website has documented that the Los Angeles Lakers have gotten very deep with the talent added in the offseason with Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell. If both players have the impact shown in this game, this team will be nearly impossible to stop when the stars get their rhythm back and the newcomers understand their roles better.

Lake Show Life’s more in-depth breakdowns will come in Lake Show Life Lessons tomorrow. Keep it locked for the only Los Angeles Lakers post-game report with highlights and in-depth analysis.