The Los Angeles Lakers looked to keep things rolling on Tuesday night when they hosted the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers came in winners of six straight and had a prime opportunity to get it to seven against a Pelicans team that has been a huge disappointment this season due to injuries.
Ultimately, the Lakers were able to come out on top with an easy 136-115 victory to improve their record to 39-21.
LeBron James came into the night needing just one point to reach 50,000 for his career when combining the regular and postseason, and it did not take him long to get it as he knocked down his first triple.
From there, Luka Doncic took over the game early with three 3-pointers in a row and then an assist to Shake Milton for another one to give the Lakers their first double digit lead. It was all Doncic in the first quarter as he had 17 points, three rebounds and four assists. Zion Williamson ended the quarter with a layup though to cut the Pelicans’ deficit to 36-23.
With Doncic heading to the bench, the Lakers’ offense slowed down and Williamson was in attack mode to lead A 12-3 Pelicans run to start the quarter. Despite a pair of dunks by Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans’ run continued as they tied the game at 43 and forced a Lakers timeout.
That timeout seemed to do the trick as L.A. responded with an 11-0 run, including a pair of 3s by James.
Williamson continued to be an issue for the Lakers as he was getting to the paint with ease. Hayes kept getting easy dunks though and then Doncic drained a triple to beat the halftime buzzer, giving his team a 69-59 lead.
Doncic picked up where he left off to begin the third quarter as he stayed hot from deep. After a dunk by James, the lead was at a game-high 15.
Things got a little chippy towards the end of the third as Bruce Brown had a hard Flagrant 1 foul on Knecht and the Lakers weren’t happy about it, leading to double technicals as well. On the court, it was all Lakers as James ended the third quarter with another 3 to take a 102-84 lead.
Williamson continued to get whatever he wanted in the paint against the Lakers, but he had very little help as the Lakers kept pouring it on to go up 20. They would have no issues closing out the victory with James and Doncic both scoring at least 30.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will finish out their homestand on Thursday against the New York Knicks before going out on the road for four games, starting with Saturday night against the rival Boston Celtics.
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