What once roared now whimpered. The posh crowd at Crypto.com Arena—those who arrive late and leave early, who cheer only when the jumbotron commands it, began checking their watches instead of the scoreboard—they had begun their retreat. Instagram closed. Coats collected. The traffic beckoned more than the basketball.

Victor Wembanyama dropped 40 points against the Lakers Tuesday night, reminding everyone that yes, he's the most dominate player in the league on both ends of the floor. This performance should come with a asterisk,

Some teams use their defense to jump-start their offense. The Lakers are using their offense to protect their defense. So far it's going very well.