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LOS ANGELES • It was another high-scoring Christmas win for LeBron James, but he wasn’t the brightest star on Friday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers had defeated the Dallas Mavericks 138-115 in their National Basketball Association (NBA) game, with James contributing just 22 points at Staples Center.
They’re already looking at the court for a second consecutive NBA championship, and they have the firepower to accomplish that feat.
“We have the ability to (be) where we can have four, maybe even five guys who can score in the 20s on any given night,” James said.
“As long as we defend and are efficient, it is a beautiful thing to see.”
Anthony Davis led all scorers with 28 points, while James had 10 assists and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. Davis also contributed eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, and backup Montrezl Harrell had 22 points.
“We have a lot of offensive power,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.
Dennis Schroder had 18 points on seven of 11 shots and contributed six assists, and Kyle Kuzma had 13 points and six rebounds for the Lakers, who played in the holidays for the 22nd consecutive year.
James, who turns 36 on Wednesday, climbed to second on the NBA’s all-time Christmas points list with 383, beating Oscar Robertson by six to be 12 within matching the late Kobe Bryant’s career record. .
It was the 10th Christmas win in 15 Christmas appearances for James, who equaled former Miami teammate Dwyane Wade for the most Christmas victories in the NBA.
Vogel wants to ease James’ workload after the shortest offseason in NBA history, but the player is confident he can handle whatever comes his way.
“I train my body for whatever. I’m not your typical guy in his 18th season,” he said. “If you’re ready, you never have to prepare.”
Slovenian star guard Luka Doncic scored 27 points for Dallas, but the Mavericks were outscored in all quarters and lost 53-27 on rebounds.
The standout statistic? The Lakers’ 35-0 lead in second-chance points.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all. You can’t win a game when second-chance points are 35-0. It’s as simple as that,” Doncic said.
Five other Mavericks scored in double figures: Josh Richardson (17 points), Trey Burke (17), Dwight Powell (11), Dorian Finney-Smith (10) and Tim Hardaway Jr (10), but none reached 20 points.
Los Angeles shot Dallas 56 percent to 49.4 percent in the game and prevailed despite committing 16 turnovers to just nine for the visitors.
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Clippers beat hosts Denver 121-108 despite an injury to Kawhi Leonard midway through the fourth quarter. Teammate Serge Ibaka hit him in the face for a rebound, leaving him bleeding and lying on the court.
Paul George scored 23 points and passed nine assists for the Clippers, while Leonard had 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Denver’s Nikola Jokic just missed being the first player since Magic Johnson in 1982 to open a season with consecutive triple-doubles, chipping in 24 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
FRENCH PRESS AGENCY, REUTERS
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