LOS ANGELES — The red on LeBron James’ shoes matched Santa Claus’ suit, a special pair for a special Christmas Day appearance that has meant so much to him in his NBA career.
He lounged back on one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ socially distant chairs, one leg crossed over the other, as he watched his teammates extinguish a Dallas rally without him. The only shot he took in the game’s final minutes was a towel he floated back into the second row of the bench.
The work he had put in during his 31 minutes combined with the Lakers’ expanded offensive weaponry afforded him the opportunity to watch the team close out a 138-115 victory, their first of the young season.
Anthony Davis finished with 28 points and James added 22 points and 10 assists. Montrezl Harrell delivered off the bench, feasting for 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Dallas’ Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 27 points and seven assists.
The Lakers’ offense hit 56 percent of its shots from the field and made 19 threes in the win, easing the pain of 17 turnovers to only nine forced by the Lakers defense.
The team will host Minnesota on Sunday night.
