The Los Angeles Lakers are on the second night of a back-to-back on New Year’s Eve, taking on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road.
L.A. is coming off a controversial ending yesterday in Minnesota against the Timberwolves, missing out on an opportunity to win against the No. 1 team in the conference, losing 108-106. On the flip side, this back-to-back offers the Lakers an opportunity to bounce back and take out some frustration on the Pelicans.
This is the second time that these two teams have faced off, the first being in Las Vegas for the In-Season Tournament semifinals. It was a dominant L.A. win, 133-89. The purple and gold shot 54.7% from the field and made 17 3-pointers, while New Orleans struggled to get any offense going.
Heading into this contest, it was announced that Cam Reddish is out with left groin soreness, an injury he has been dealing with the past few games. D’Angelo Russell was also ruled out with a tailbone contusion after attempting to take a charge in the third quarter of yesterday’s game. LeBron James was listed questionable with a left knee contusion and illness and Anthony Davis was probable with a left ankle sprain/bone bruise, but both will suit up for the Lakers
On the Pelicans side of things, Trey Murphy III was listed questionable with a knee issue and now is ruled out, which is a considerable loss to New Orleans’ bench scoring.
Davis has put up some nice games against his former team, averaging 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks. Coming off 33 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and 2 blocks against the Timberwolves, the Lakers are going to need a similar to performance to get a win today.
While Reddish’s defense against Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum will be missed, Jarred Vanderbilt will assume the role of switching between the two, but mainly should be on Ingram. Austin Reaves take up more back up guard minutes perhaps with an opportunity for Max Christie to see the floor.
Despite the semifinals game being a blowout, the Pelicans’ offense will assumingly be a lot better playing in front of their fans. New Orleans is coming off a home win against the Utah Jazz, 112-105, with Ingram being the leading scorer with 26, McCollum with 22 and Zion Williamson with a near triple-double at 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
The Lakers were luckily able to shut down those three in Las Vegas, but L.A. is going to have to at least contain Ingram because if he is able to get to his spots in the mid-range, it can be a long night. With no true point guard, McCollum is going to have to turn into a passer and not allow Williamson to get downhill.
December has been a challenging month for the purple and gold, thankfully it is coming to an end. Closing out 2023 with a win is a must as a five-game homestand awaits to begin 2024.
Los Angeles Lakers (17-16) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (18-14)
4:00 p.m. PT, Dec. 31, 2023
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers starting lineup:
PG: LeBron James
SG: Taurean Prince
SF: Jarred Vanderbilt
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Christian Wood
Projected Pelicans starting lineup:
PG: CJ McCollum
SG: Herb Jones
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Jonas Valanciunas
Key Reserves: Larry Nance Jr., Naji Marshall, Jose Alvarado
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