What a week!

The Lakers are on a roll, pushing their record to 17-10 and drifting closer to the top of the Western Conference. Why? Because (among other things) LeBron James is still great, but also because the defense has become a top 10 group, and Kyle Kuzma is playing well on both ends (including stuff like rebounding and passing on the offensive side).

Even better, the Lakers are a team that can reasonably be expected to improve over the course of the season. If that’s true, what’s their top end? And how much higher does it get if the Lakers acquire Trevor Ariza?

All that, and who should be hosting the Oscars? And what does the Kevin Hart story mean not just for hosting gigs, but stand up more broadly?

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The Lakers finished off a successful homestand with a big win over the Spurs on Wednesday. LeBron James led the way, but he had some help down the stretch. That’s the formula everyone wants, but can it last? Plus, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher got Kevin Durant and a bunch of other players to go on record explaining why premier free agents might not flock to play with LeBron… and needless to say it caused some controversy. But once you get past some of the whining from K.D. about how LeBron is treated by the media, is anything he or the other guys said actually wrong? What does that mean for L.A.’s big summer plans?

All of that, plus the annual Hallmark Christmas Movie Game.

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