1 takeaway from each of the 5 NBA Christmas Day games

This wasn’t just an off-game for LeBron James

When LeBron James scored just 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting in the Los Angeles Lakers season-opening loss to the LA Clippers, the excuses arrived rapidly soon after.

The Lakers had welcomed in seven key rotation pieces over the summer, most notably superstar big man Anthony Davis. It was silly to expect LeBron to thrive alongside them so quickly, while the Clippers’ defense was one that needed to be digested and analyzed to dominate against.

Both may have been true, but it made little difference in the rematch.

LeBron and AD had synced up to push the Lakers to a West-best 24-6 record heading into Christmas. The Lakers were “hosting” the Clippers with a healthy roster and yet James still shot 9-of-24 on his way to 23 points and another loss.

It’s not a coincidence two of LeBron’s four sub-40 percent shooting games have come against the cross-stadium rivals. Nor is it a surprise that half of his looks came from beyond the arc — of which he hit only two — with four free-throw attempts and just three makes around the bucket.

The Clippers have two of the premier wing defenders in the NBA and a host of others to make James work for whatever he might get. There’s always a help defender looming and the near absence of any favorable switches.

Even as he approaches his 35th birthday, it’s very difficult to outright stop LeBron James, but perhaps the Clippers have the personnel to do so, even in a seven-game series.

So, for those whimsically assuming James will simply flip a switch to dominate the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and company might not give him the chance, and that means everything for the Lakers’ title hopes should it run through LAC.