Austin Reaves helps power the Lakers to a thrilling Christmas win over the Warriors

LeBron James walked through the visiting locker room on Christmas afternoon and wondered if there was music playing inside the Chase Center.

When a DJ bumped into Ludacris in the early 2000s near the hoop where the Lakers were warming up, James broke the routine to dance and smile.

As much as any player in the league before or since, James is aware of the stage. And even after doing it 18 previous times over 21 seasons, somewhere on the field Christmas Eve, with everyone watching, hit him like a triple espresso.

Read more: Albert Sanders Jr. is the most important person in the NBA you’ve never heard of

Over Stephen Curry and the Warriors in a big game? Old news for James, who competed against one of his biggest rivals in five different playoff series (and one play-in game).

But in the context of this season, with James days away from his 40th birthday, he looked like someone intent on enjoying things.

He embraced Curry pregame, the two Olympic teammates from the summer still relish that experience. He ran onto the court after halftime and stopped at the end of the tunnel to playfully dance to “Not Like Us” with Chase Center security. And during the action, he delivered an age-defying performance for the unexpectedly shorthanded Lakers in a 115-113 win against the Warriors with timely help from Austin Reaves.

After a flurry of Curry buckets in the fourth, Reaves drove past Andrew Wiggins and scored with one second left to seal the win.

Without D’Angelo Russell the whole game and Anthony Davis For the most part, James didn’t just use his old man’s strength to bully his way into the paint. He skipped lines, dug in and deflected on double teams, swung centers and bullied smaller defenders between him and the rim.

Russell did not play after suffering a sprained thumb in the Lakers’ loss to Detroit on Monday. Davis, a player who has feasted against smaller Golden State lineups, played just seven scoreless minutes before leaving with a sprained left ankle.

This meant that even the most energetic version of James would need help. On Wednesday he got it.

Reaves scored 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the third triple-double of his career. Rui Hachimura scored 18 and hit five threes and smiled on the Lakers bench as he ran back on defense. Max Christie and Gabe Vincent chased Curry, and rookie Dalton Knecht, mired in a monthlong slump, had 13 points off the bench for the Lakers (17-13).

But winning is always difficult — and the Warriors (15-14), like James, don’t shy away from the biggest stages.

Read more: Stamps expose LeBron James and the Lakers for what they are — and aren’t — in LA loss

Ex-Laker Dennis Schroder hit a three after a James block, and Curry hit a driving layup to cut the Lakers’ lead to two inside 30 seconds.

Christie made a pair of free throws, but Curry hit an insanely difficult three over James deep in the corner to make it a one-point game. Reaves hit both free throws, but the door was still open.

And Curry got enough off a Draymond Green screen to make another three, this time with no one on him to tie the game with six seconds left before Reaves won it for the Lakers on a driving layup.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.