Riding a six-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to continue their run when they hosted the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers ruled out LeBron James and Marcus Smart, but the Pelicans ruled out most of their regulars including Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy. With New Orleans shorthanded, Los Angeles had an excellent opportunity to pick up another win.
Although the Lakers seemed to let go of the rope a bit in the second half they eventually regained their form and claimed a 133-121 victory.
Luka Doncic has made scoring look easy throughout the 2025-26 season and that was the case against an undermanned Pelicans defense that had no hope of guarding him. Doncic put the New Orleans defense in a blender as soon as the game tipped off, using his bag of moves to either get to the rim or knock down tough jumpers.
Doncic even showed off his passing ability with a few flashy assists to wide-open teammates. Doncic dropped 20 points in the first quarter, setting the tone for the Lakers offense. Doncic only scored two points in the second quarter as New Orleans sold out to force him to give up the basketball, but he eventually found his way in the third quarter.
The Lakers superstar ended up having a rougher-than-expected shooting night as he was 9-of-22 from the field but he still led all scorers with 34 points to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Doncic’s counterpart Austin Reaves was the more efficient one of the two, knifing through the defense for layups and crafty finishes at the rim. Reaves also had his jumper going, especially from deep as he knocked down four of his seven 3-point attempts.
While the first quarter belonged to Doncic, the fourth quarter was Reaves’ as he kept the Lakers offense afloat. Reaves finished right behind Doncic in the scoring column with 33 points but also had eight assists and five rebounds.
Deandre Ayton remains a steady presence in the middle of the floor and he looked dominant against New Orleans on both ends. Ayton continued to be efficient as a pick and roll finisher, but he was also a deterrent at the rim.
Ayton had a huge double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds plus four blocks.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will take on the Phoenix Suns on Monday to finish their back-to-back set. Los Angeles will then embark on a three-game road trip that starts on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors.
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