They were without Luka Doncic for the first two games of the trip and without LeBron James for Friday's loss to the Boston Celtics. Both were back on Sunday when the Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, but the team was still without guard Marcus Smart, who missed their last six games due to a back issue.

Milwaukee bounced back from an ugly 2-8 start to the season to find its footing in NBA Cup games and went on a run behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. He lifted them to the Cup Finals against Oklahoma City, where Antetokounmpo had a 26-point triple-double, completely controlling the game on both ends of the court.

The Boston Celtics, still without Jayson Tatum, are lurking in the Eastern Conference and have won five in a row and 10 of their last 12 games.

Although the Lakers are riding high this season, LeBron James' agent and close friend Rich Paul believes they can't win a championship.

With holiday frost nipping at the air currently, NBC is briefly pausing NBA action in favor of some holiday specials. On Tuesday, December 9, you'll be able to catch Frosty the Snowman at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Shrek the Halls at 8:30 p.m., and A Motown Christmas at 9 p.m. hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey.

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly interest in two players from teams currently freefalling down the standings.