Lakers: On one hand, Anthony Davis didn’t score a point and missed all but seven minutes … but on the other hand, there’s 21 years of evidence that LeBron James plus shooting equals a lot of wins. Give JJ Redick credit for playing mostly centerless basketball in the second half with Davis ruled out due to an ankle injury. He spread the floor and let LeBron go to work, spraying out to shooters like Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and Max Christie, who all hit backbreakers as the Warriors continued to fight back. The Lakers entered the game making fewer than 12 3-pointers per game on the season (27th in the NBA) and finished Wednesday night’s game with 15, which made all the difference.

Speaking of Reaves, the man got to the rim at will on Christmas Day, leveraging his shot by attacking the basket with aggression all night long. He finished with a triple-double of 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, along with the game-winning layup with one second remaining. He and Hachimura were crucial without Davis, who is expected to be listed as day-to-day moving forward and could suit up for the Lakers’ next game on Saturday against the Kings. Grade: A

Warriors: Steph Curry had 38 points. The Warriors only turned the ball over 12 times (they average 14 on the season) and went 18-for-45 from 3-point range (40%). They held the Lakers to 18 free-throw attempts (they average 24 on the season). Anthony Davis was scoreless in seven minutes before leaving for the rest of the game. On paper, this is a game the Warriors should have won.

Instead they received very little offensive contribution from the supporting cast — Andrew Wiggins had 21 points, but was largely quiet in the second half — despite the Lakers’ lack of rim protection without Davis, and failed to contain Lakers shooters when they went to small-ball lineups for virtually the entire second half. This is a bitter loss for Golden State, which has now dropped 11 of its last 14 games. Dennis Schroder was brought in to lead the offense with Curry on the bench, and he went 3 for 10 from the field in 28 minutes. Jonathan Kuminga had solid counting stats — 14 points and six rebounds, but was minus-17 in 27 minutes.

This was a microcosm of the entire Warriors season: Curry didn’t get any help and Golden State couldn’t pull out a close game down the stretch. Grade: C