Luka Dončić, LeBron James shine as Lakers cruise to win over Pelicans
The Lakers made it seven wins in a row on Tuesday as LeBron James and Luka Dončić helped the purple and gold win handily over the Pelicans.
Luka Dončić and LeBron James combined for 64 points as the Lakers cruised to a comfortable win over the Pelicans, 136-115.
Luka put on a show in the first quarter with 17 points and ended the game with 30 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. LeBron James made history, becoming the sole member of the 50,000 career points club. He finished with 34 points, six assists and eight rebounds.
Jaxson Hayes scored a season-high 19 points, all of those coming in the first half. He also notched a double-double with 10 rebounds. Dalton Knecht continued his strong run of games with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Shake Milton provided nice scoring off the bench with 12 points. Dorian Finney-Smith pitched in with eight points. Jarred Vanderbilt had 12 points to go with his eight rebounds.
The game began with a turnover by the Lakers, leading to Zion Williamson stealing the ball and taking it to the basket himself for a dunk. Los Angeles quickly got it together and built a lead. The scoring for LA was balanced, with the only player not scoring in the early stages being Gabe Vincent.
Fans screamed each time LeBron had the ball and he eventually drained a 3-pointer, officially moving him north of 50,000 career points.
Luka started heating up, draining three 3-pointers to grow LA’s lead. The Pelicans were forced to call timeout after Shake added to the scoring barrage with a 3-pointer of his own.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were on a 21-8 scoring run and led by 13.
The second quarter started with New Orleans scoring eight straight with Jordan Hawkins draining two 3-pointers. The Lakers were missing wide-open shots and struggling to get a rebound.
A 12-2 Pelicans scoring run made it a one-possession game. Los Angeles could not make a 3-pointer to save their lives, missing eight straight attempts.
After the Pelicans tied the game and forced a Lakers timeout, Los Angeles responded well, scoring eight points and causing disarray for the Pelicans. Jaxson was perfect from the field, converting on layups and alley-oop dunks.
Los Angeles routinely went back up double digits each time New Orleans cut the deficit to single digits. Luka knocked down another 3-pointer, giving the Lakers a 10-point lead at the half.
New Orleans started the second half shooting much better from the field as they were up to 57% shooting. Luka drained his fifth 3-pointer of the night to keep LA ahead.
As a team though, LA struggled to convert from behind the arc. Gabe finally saw the ball go through the hoop with an easy layup following his slow start.
After draining another 3-pointer, Luka was up to 54% shooting from behind the arc and the Lakers were up double digits.
Vando’s defensive contributions were put on full display with a steal that led to LeBron getting fouled and converting both free throws. Los Angeles scored nine straight points, capped off with a LeBron lob, forcing a timeout by the Pelicans, who had fallen behind by 15.
Five quick points by Vando, including a dunk off an assist from Luka, helped extend LA’s lead. Luka was creating opportunities for his teammates, who were left wide open from behind the arc and were able to get loose from their defenders for layups and dunks.
Vando and Trey Jemison provided all sorts of defense and energy, helping the team with steals, rebounds and toughness. LeBron drained a 3-pointer over Bruce Brown to help push LA’s lead to 18 at the end of the third.
Los Angeles started the final frame with something they love to do too often: turning the ball over. Zion was fouled and completed the three-point play.
It was “The LeBron and Zion Show” as both players started taking over for their teams. Zion scored four of the easiest points he’ll ever score as no Laker could guard him.
After Dalton scored four points himself, the Pelicans called a timeout. Jose Alvarado drained a 3-pointer out of the break. The Lakers were doing a good job creating more scoring opportunities with rebounds. They were up to 52 rebounds to New Orleans’ 41.
With 3:58 left, benches were cleared and the Pelicans waved the white flag.
Key Takeaways:
I recommend having Luka Dončić and LeBron James on your favorite basketball team. It’s a euphoric experience.
The Lakers’ next game will be against the New York Knicks on Thursday at 7
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