The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 120-117.
It was a slow offensive start for both teams as they couldn’t get much to go down, with Anthony Davis particularly struggling as he missed five of his first six shots. Russell Westbrook entered the game to loud cheers from the crowd and immediately got to the rim for a layup though to get the Lakers going.
Los Angeles’ defense started to show some cracks as New Orleans got several open looks to take the lead, but Austin Reaves converted on an and-one opportunity to cut it in half. Westbrook energized the team by taking charges and even knocking down a rare three, but the Lakers found themselves trailing 27-23 after one.
L.A. opened the second a little sluggish with turnovers and missed wide-open shots, but still kept it within four as LeBron James tried to carry the offense. Fortunately, the Laker defense picked up with Davis cleaning things up in the painted area.
Troy Brown Jr. was the beneficiary of several Westbrook passes, finding himself open for layups and earning free throws to make it 40-39. Westbrook’s playmaking really got the team going on both ends of the floor, keying a 12-0 run as they went into halftime up 56-44.
The Lakers picked back up where they left off in the first half with strong play on both ends before the Pelicans responded with a 7-0 run. Lonnie Walker IV brought the house down with an emphatic dunk in transition, while Westbrook’s playmaking continued to make life easier for his teammates.
Davis made sure L.A. stayed ahead by dominating both ends of the floor, but New Orleans capitalized on turnovers to make it a single-digit contest. The Pelicans seized all the momentum after a erupting for a 15-0 run. but James quickly settled things down and the Lakers held onto an 82-79 lead heading into the fourth.
Walker exploded offensively to begin the final period, scoring the team’s next nine points and capping it off with another massive dunk. Zion Williamson took over for the Pelicans, powering his way to the rim every time down and trimming the Laker advantage down to one.
It was a tightly contested finish to the night as the teams battled back and forth. The teams traded the lead several times in the closing minutes, but Matt Ryan nailed a three from the corner to send the game into ovetime.
Los Angeles took the momentum in the extra period with a strong defensive stand in the paint against Williamson. CJ McCollum had a chance to send the game into a second overtime, but he missed which gave the Lakers the hard-fought win.