1The Lakers cruised to their seventh consecutive win Sunday, taking down the overmatched New Orleans Pelicans 133-121 at Crypto.com Arena, but the play has not always been as impressive as the team’s strong 15-4 record.

Against a team missing nearly all of its star players, including Zion Williamson, the Lakers let a 26-point second-quarter lead shrink to 11 by the third quarter. Instead of resting ahead of another game on Monday against the Phoenix Suns, Austin Reaves played 40 minutes, finishing with 33 points and eight assists. But with ice bags wrapped around both knees and both feet submerged in an ice bath, Reaves was still encouraged by the Lakers’ rise to the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference.

“You’re not always going to win in the prettiest way,” Reaves said. “Some ga

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