The Los Angeles Lakers looked to keep things rolling on Tuesday night as they hit the road to take on the New Orleans Pelicans in the first night of a back-to-back.
The Lakers have not lost yet in 2026 and that continued as they pulled away from the Pelicans late to earn a 111-103 victory. That improved their record to 23-11 and 13-0 in clutch games this season.
As usual, it was LeBron James and Luka Doncic leading the way for the Lakers as they took over down the stretch. L.A.’s star duo is really building some chemistry with their two-man game and that was evident again in this one.
With the Lakers trailing entering the fourth quarter, James ripped off an 8-0 run and they never looked back. He had some big-time dunks, including a windmill in transition and an alley-oop from Doncic, to finish with 30 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block on 10-of-19 shooting.
Doncic was ice cold from deep early but came alive late to score 30 points of his own to go along with two rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and one block on 11-of-22 shooting. In the fourth quarter, he hit a circus 3-pointer falling out of bounds as the shot clocked expired to essentially put the game out of reach.
While James and Doncic put the game away, they got some help from their teammates as well. Deandre Ayton had his second straight strong performance with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks on 9-of-16 shooting. Whenever the Lakers needed a rebound late, Ayton was there to secure it.
Marcus Smart also had a solid all-around game with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with six rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. He provided a much-needed boost from deep by making 3-of-7 attempts while the rest of the team struggled in that department.
On the Pelicans side of things, Trey Murphy III was a thorn in the Lakers’ side all night. He led all scorers with 42 points on 14-of-26 shooting and added five rebounds and three assists in the loss. Zion Williamson also contributed 15 points, suiting up against L.A. for the first time in three games this season.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will close out their quick two-game road trip with a tough matchup against the San Antonio Spurs in the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday before returning home and hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
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