The Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on Friday. The Lakers needed to respond well following that blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, and the starters certainly showed up in this NBA Cup clash.
Deandre Ayton, in particular, impressed, and Austin Reaves was full of praise for the big man in his postgame media session.
“He is a monster,” Reaves said. “Set the tone early… He had like 20 and 16. Yeah, he was 10-11 from the field. Pretty good day at the office, + 35… He was monstrous tonight. That’s what we expect from him.
“He said after the game the other night that he didn’t do his job and that’s one thing that he’s going to do,” Reaves added. “He’s going to hold himself accountable, and he’s going to go try to correct that. That’s what he did.”
Ayton struggled, like the rest of the team, in that brutal 121-92 loss to the Thunder. The 27-year-old put up just five points (3-5 FG), five rebounds, one assist, and one steal as the Lakers were blown out. He wanted to make amends against the Pelicans and did just that.
Ayton finished with 20 points (10-11 FG), 16 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block on the night. The former No. 1 overall pick was dominant on the glass, and you’d want to see him do this on a consistent basis. The scoring is going to come and go, but the rebounding should be great on a nightly basis.
There were a lot of concerns raised when the Lakers signed Ayton. His motor and effort had been questioned, but Reaves’ comments indicate he has changed his ways.
Ayton is holding himself accountable, and that should be music to the ears of Lakers fans. Head coach JJ Redick has also been gushing about the big man, and he’s certainly made a positive impression in the building.
Ayton is now averaging 15.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 2025-26. That’s good production out of someone who is on a two-year, $16.6 million deal.
As for Reaves, he hilariously stated he played s****y against the Pelicans, but he certainly did not. The 27-year-old had 31 points (9-16 FG), four rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block.
This was easily Reaves’ best game since he returned from his groin injury. He had just 13 points in that loss to the Thunder, and this was more of what we have grown accustomed to seeing from him this season.
The Lakers have now improved to 9-4 on the season and are also 2-0 in the cup. They, of course, won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2023 but were then eliminated in the group stage in 2024.
The Lakers will be facing the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks in their remaining games in West Group B. You’d fancy their chances of winning both of those and advancing to the knockouts.
For now, though, the Lakers will be focused on their upcoming regular-season game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Saturday at 8 PM ET. That is the final game of this five-game road trip, on which they are currently 2-2.
