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The Night Staples Center Let Its Guard Down

LOS ANGELES — Lakers home games are probably the most unique basketball experience in the world, especially when the team is actually good. The dimmed lights make the on-court action look like a prizefight. The organ music adds an old-school, showtimey touch. The most famous people in the world, aside from the ones actually playing, are dotted along the sidelines to add some dramatic heft. Witnessing a Laker game is the equivalent of being at the high school parties you were never invited to. The coolness factor is worth the price of admission alone, and that’s before LeBron James throws down a fastbreak dunk, or Anthony Davis pirouettes around a defender to catch a high-arching lob.