Lakers’ offense lights up in a decisive victory over the Pelicans…

Lakers’ offense lights up in a decisive victory over the Pelicans…

The Lakers defeated the Pelicans 139-122 on Friday night, a big comeback after a tough loss to the Nuggets the previous night. The Lakers defeated the Pelicans, who had won four straight games and were playing excellent basketball of their own lately, behind an 87-point first half that included 51 points in the second quarter alone and a performance by all five starters of 20 points or more.

As demonstrated by their point totals, each starter had their moments, but against New Orleans, D’Angelo Russell stood out as a major difference maker. Russell made an impression in this game after sitting out the one against Denver on Thursday. He scored a team-high 30 points on nine of 19 field goals, including six of 13 from beyond the arc. Russell scored 16 points in that thrilling second quarter, including 14 straight points for his team. He also made four three-pointers to turn the tide of the game in the Lakers’ favor, energizing the audience and significantly altering the mood of the game.
As Russell has previously stated, making buckets in large quantities can be his superpower. He demonstrated this ability in this game not only in the second quarter but also in the third, when a Pelicans run forced the Lakers lead back into double figures entering the fourth quarter.

Austin Reaves, Russell’s backcourt partner, also had a fantastic scoring night, scoring 27 points on 10-15 shooting, including three of four from beyond the arc. Following a somewhat sluggish start to the Nuggets game, Reaves went on a rampage against New Orleans, making his first seven field goals. Reaves displayed his whole offensive toolkit, including long jumpers, mid-range jumpers, and even an open-court dunk. He and D-Lo also helped establish the tone for the Lakers on that end of the floor.

Following the pattern of strong comebacks, Rui Hachimura also had a strong comeback from a challenging game the previous evening. Rui, who only had one basket against Denver, made nine of his thirteen shots for 21 points and five rebounds against the Pelicans. Rui’s team-best box score of +21 reflects his helpfulness in many small areas that aren’t usually reflected in the score. Rui had some excellent defensive plays, like as a block on a chase-down that looked like it would be made by LeBron. He also had some good possessions when playing defense on Zion Williamson.Speaking of LeBron, you can tell the Lakers had a successful offensive night when he and Anthony Davis lead the opening group in scoring with 21 and 20 points, respectively. LeBron made both of his three-point attempts and utilized post ups to work the interior, but his best work was as a distributor, finishing with a game-high 14 assists to just two turnovers. LeBron excelled at driving, kicking, and posing a threat to the paint while passing the ball to open teammates for easy finishes inside or open shots.

Regarding AD, he scored 20 points on just 11 field goals (making seven of them), grabbed six rebounds and giving out six assists. AD was in foul trouble after committing three fouls in the first quarter, but he only picked up one more foul over the remainder of the game. Despite this, he was still able to play with force and skill as a finisher and have an influence on defense near the basket.The Pelicans, on the other hand, demonstrated their explosive offensive capabilities by scoring 122 points while shooting 51.7% as a unit from the field. Despite Williamson’s 30 points, which led the team, all five of their starters scored in double figures, with CJ McCollum scoring 19 and Brandon Ingram scoring 22. They simply had the resources to compete with the Lakers’ spectacular scoring runs, particularly when they began to make threes.

All in all, this was a fantastic team victory where all of the players collaborated as well as performed well. In addition to committing just seven turnovers and dishing out 32 assists on their 49 made baskets, the team also tightened its focus and did what was necessary on both ends of the court to keep the Pelicans at bay when they threatened to make a serious run at the game.

After taking a couple more days off, the Lakers will play the Pistons again on Tuesday.