The Los Angeles Lakers flirted with disaster before finally slamming the door shut.
After trailing deep into the fourth quarter, the Lakers caught fire late and escaped with a 110-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. It wasn’t always pretty. Los Angeles committed 22 turnovers and allowed 60 points in the paint, but when the game tightened, their stars delivered on a night where sloppiness was certainly apparent.
Here are five key takeaways from a victory that felt necessary more than dominant.
1. Luka Doncic And LeBron Took Over Late
When things got tense, the ball found the right hands.
Luka Doncic finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in 38 minutes. He shot 10-22 from the field and added three threes, but more importantly, he settled the offense in crunch time. Yes, he had seven turnovers, but his late shot-making and rebounding steadied the group.
LeBron James added 21 points on an efficient 8-12 shooting night. He chipped in seven rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks. Though he went just 4-8 from the free-throw line and committed five turnovers, his downhill aggression sparked the decisive run.
Between them, they combined for 48 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists. In the closing minutes, that star power proved to be the difference.
2. Interior Defense Saved The Night
The Lakers were sloppy with the ball, but their rim protection kept them alive.
Los Angeles recorded 12 blocks compared to just three for New Orleans. Marcus Smart was disruptive with four steals and three blocks while adding 10 points and seven assists. His +13 plus/minus reflected his two-way impact.
Jaxson Hayes delivered eight points, six rebounds, and two blocks off the bench, finishing +16. Deandre Ayton added two blocks and eight rebounds in 25 minutes.
Even though the Pelicans scored 60 points in the paint, the Lakers’ timely shot contests in the fourth quarter prevented second-chance momentum plays.
3. Fast-Break Execution Turned The Tide
The Lakers were good at the offensive end when they pushed the ball.
In fast-break opportunities, Los Angeles outscored New Orleans 28 to 18. The fast break due to the defensive stops was crucial to the late stretch of the game.
Austin Reaves shot the ball at a very poor rate of 4-15; however, he did grab 8 rebounds, added 5 made free throws, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He was active in the game despite his inefficiencies.
The Lakers surpassed the Pelicans with a shooting percentage of 47.0% versus 42.2%. Although their offensive rhythm during fast breaks was a little bit lacking, the members of the team showed to be a bit more confident in the end.
4. Pelicans Let It Slip Despite Strong Performances
All things considered, New Orleans played well but handed the victory away.
New Orleans was in control of the game for portions of the contest and will feel as if they lost the game.
Zion Williamson played well with 24 points on 10-18 and 4 rebounds, while Trey Murphy III was the second leading scorer for New Orleans with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 three-balls.
Dejounte Murray had a nice game overall with 15 points and 8 assists, while Saddiq Bey contributed 18 points.
Nonetheless, the Pelicans ended the night with 19 turnovers and a dismal shooting performance of 8-29 from three (27.6%), which would cause them to lose on an evening where the final score is close, given their failure to make perimeter shots efficiently on this night.
5. Sloppiness Still A Concern Moving Forward
The Lakers are winners, but the team had a lot of unexpected things to fix.
The team lost the ball 22 times, resulting in New Orleans scoring 29 points off these turnovers. The Lakers, on the other hand, had no better outcomes on offense, hitting just 29.7% of their attempts from three (11-37) and 80.8% from the charity stripe. If they made those same mistakes against a better team, they would definitely be handing over the game.
Somehow, they even won the rebounding battle, and we really are not sure how they were able to be winning 56% of the game.
It was a bit shaky, but they needed the win, and they finally got it.
