LOS ANGELES -- For one furious three-minute stretch, the Los Angeles Lakers displayed the kind of basketball Luke Walton envisioned: smothering and inspired defense that led to high-speed fastbreaks with the ball zipping through the air.
After falling behind by as much as 24 and looking like a group that already had their Louis Vuitton bags packed for New Orleans, the Lakers exploded for a frenzied 15-0 run, culminating with a Brandon Ingram highlight slam over Corey Brewer on the secondary break.
LeBron James leapt out of his seat and spread his arms out like wings as Ingram punctuated his best night as a pro with a career-high 36 points, five rebounds and five assists.