Here is what you need to know before the Lakers’ New Year’s Day matchup with the Phoenix Suns.
1) Defense broke out the clamps
You won’t see a defensive test much more difficult than the Dallas Mavericks, who lead the NBA in offensive rating by a sizable margin. But it’s safe to say the Lakers aced that challenge in Sunday’s win.
L.A. had the Mavs flummoxed, holding them to 95 points on 36.0% shooting — both of which were season-lows. Even MVP candidate and top-three scorer Luka Doncic couldn’t find his shot, hitting just 5-of-14 from the field with six turnovers.