The Los Angeles Lakers snagged their ninth win on the season Tuesday night and it came against the short handed New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are another struggling team in the Western Conference, and there was little they could do without star Anthony Davis. Despite an early deficit late, the Lakers rallied behind their young players and won by four, 95-91.
Lou Williams was the leading scorer with 19 points and he had to take on a bigger offensive role as Kobe Bryant missed the majority of the game due to a sore Achilles. However, the team’s young stars stepped up in a big way and they helped guide the team to victory.
Williams spoke about their play after the win and praised the way they commanded the game, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Lou Williams on development of young Lakers: "Instead of deferring to someone else, those guys are going out there & making solid decisions"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 13, 2016
D’Angelo Russell finished the game with 13 points and he continues to show his versatile as he recorded four rebounds and three assists. Julius Randle had another solid performance on the boards with 11 and he added in another seven points. As for Larry Nance Jr., he provided much needed energy for the team to go along with eight points and six rebounds.
The Lakers are beginning to hit a stride as a team, even if their wins have come against sub-par competition. The young core is playing very well as of late and it is great to see them perform consistently in these past few weeks.
Los Angeles will have their hands full for the next game in Oakland, where the team will once again face off with the Golden State Warriors. Not surprisingly, the Warriors have had their number this season and they will once again look to get a win over their division rivals.
