The 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 games you're going to have to muck it up and win ugly games. And I feel like we've won in a variety of ways, which speaks to the character of everybody in this locker room and on the staff.”

Here are three takeaways from the win:

JJ Redick had seen this story before. Riding high with a 7-2 record and playing against an undermanned and seemingly overwhelmed team, the Lakers got boat raced by Atlanta on Nov. 8.

With the Pelicans (3-18) missing nearly all their star players and the Lakers with seven wins in their previous nine games entering Sunday's matchup, Redick didn’t want to see another shocking upset.

So the coaching staff challenged the players before the game. Get off to a strong start, Redick implored. Players responded by piling on a season-high 46 points in the first quarter. Luka Doncic had 20 by himself.

But playing their seventh consecutive game against teams that are currently below .500, the Lakers let bad habits slip back in.

“I hate saying this, but teams can get a little bored,” Redick said of building such a commanding lead. “And that's what we're trying to get away from. [Our focus] is just continuing to be a process team and didn't think we were great with that tonight.”

The Pelicans shot 57.6% from the field in the final three quarters after the Lakers held them to eight of 25 shooting (32%) in the first quarter. Bryce McGowens led the Pelicans with 23 points while Saddiq Bey had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Doncic is, by Redick’s estimation, “one of the greatest offensive engines to ever play basketball.” His running mate Reaves, in the midst of a career year, is “one of the greatest offensive engines in this year’s NBA.”

The Lakers’ star guards went into overdrive to power the Lakers without LeBron James on Sunday, combining for 67 points and 15 assists as James missed the game with a right foot injury.

Doncic entered the game as the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging 35.1 points per game, but was also ranked second in assists per game with 9.4 assists per game. He had his sixth consecutive 30-point game with 34 points Sunday, adding seven assists, 12 rebounds and just two turnovers despite being double-teamed nearly every time he had the ball. In fact, Doncic invited double teams, beckoning extra defenders toward him as he surveyed the court.

“The gravity that he has on the court, it's impossible to guard him any certain way because [of] his ability to pass the ball, his unselfishness and his shot-making ability,” Reaves said. “Then, once you blitz him, then you have advantage basketball and we like our chances.”

Doncic said after dishing 11 assists with 35 points against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday that if he gets blitzed by extra defenders, it’s a sign he did his job. Playing four-on-three is “the easiest basketball you can play,” he said proudly.

Doncic and Reaves are the fourth pair of teammates in 50 years to each record 30 or more points in three consecutive games, according to the NBA. Powered by the sudden return of his three-pointer, Reaves scored 31 points against the Clippers last Tuesday and 38 against the Mavericks on Friday. He has made 12 of 19 three-point attempts (63.1%) in the last three games after getting off to a 31.1% mark from beyond the arc this season.

Deandre Ayton warmed up for Sunday’s game wearing a black T-shirt with a photo of half of his face printed next to half of a lion’s. Before games, the 7-foot center drinks a specially mixed energy drink that has the message “unleash the beast” written on the bottle in black ink.

On Sunday, the Lakers’ lion roared to 22 points and 12 rebounds with a season-high four blocks. He continued his efficient shooting by making seven for nine shots from the field and going eight for eight from the free throw line.

Ayton, averaging 16 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, is shooting a career-best 71% from the field. Unlike the team’s leader in field-goal percentage Jaxson Hayes (75%), Ayton is not doing the majority of his scoring on sure-fire dunks. He is shooting 61% on shots between five and 14 feet from the rim, tied with Nikola Jokic for best among centers who have taken 20 or more such shots.

“I'm really impressed just with his touch,” Redick said. “When he gets the ball in that pocket, or he collects a loose ball or rebound, or he gets a post up in that sort of, like, nine- to 12-foot area, just got a great touch. And it's another weapon we have, him scoring the basketball at a high efficiency in that area.”

Ayton left the game with 7:25 remaining after tweaking his right knee while contesting a shot from Pelicans rookie Derik Queen. He immediately signaled toward the bench for a sub and walked gingerly back to the sideline while grabbing toward his right knee. Ayton missed one game because of a right knee contusion suffered in the first half against Utah on Nov. 23, but said it felt fine after cooling down.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.