Huge fourth-quarter performances from LeBron James and Luka Dončić carried the Lakers to another comeback win over the Pelicans on Tuesday, 111-103.
LeBron took over early in the period to help LA overcome
the deficit to start the period before Luka hit a pair of huge 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game to seal the win. The Lakers outscored New Orleans 32-17 in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
There was a frenetic pace to start this game with neither side offering much resistance. Marcus Smart had five of the first 14 points for the Lakers while LeBron James, who always takes pleasure in matching up with Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, had six points in the opening six minutes of the game.
Despite putting up 16 points in the first half of the period, the Lakers only led by two after a Zion Williamson putback dunk.
Luka took over for the Lakers for the remainder of the period, helping LA open a 29-25 lead at the end of the first.
Dalton Knecht opened the second with a 3-pointer, making it a seven-point lead. Five unanswered from New Orleans pulled them right back into the game and set up a back-and-forth second period.
The Lakers built a six-point advantage on a couple of occasions, including after interior baskets from Luka and Deandre Ayton. New Orleans, though, continued to score seemingly at will and an eventual 6-0 run saw them move ahead 46-44 on a Zion layup.
Luka and LeBron tried to give the Lakers the lead heading into the half, including connecting for a highlight reel alley-oop late in the half.
However, that basket was the final points of the half for LA as the Pelicans scored the final six of the quarter to lead 54-51 at the break.
Trey Murphy III opened the third with a basket as he led the Pelicans in scoring with 16 points. New Orleans got to the rim repeatedly to start, helping them open up their biggest lead of the game at 60-53.
The Lakers finally got going with a three from Luka and two from Smart before an Ayton hook shot gave them a 65-64 lead, forcing a Pelicans timeout.
New Orleans came out of the stoppage engaged, immediately jumping back in front. Despite an incredible Luka alley-oop to Ayton, New Orleans scored on a series of backdoor cuts, the last of which came from Murphy, who was up to 14 points in the third alone as LA trailed 76-70.
While Luka tried to get the Lakers back into the game, a pair of turnovers by himself and Jaxson Hayes halted any momentum they were trying to build as the Pelicans maintained an 81-74 lead. A pair of freebies from Karlo Matkovic gave hosts an 83-74 lead, their biggest of the night.
LeBron tried his hand at sparking a comeback by making a trio of free throws after being fouled on a long-range effort before finishing a fastbreak with a windmill jam, cutting it to 83-79.
But Murphy capped off his incredible period with an and-one, giving him 20 points in the period and sending New Orleans into the fourth up seven.
LeBron continued backpacking the Lakers in the fourth, connecting on a three for the first points before driving and dishing to Vando for a layup, quickly cutting the deficit to two.
He capped off the 13-3 run — which he had a hand in every point on — with a stepback 3-pointer to give the Lakers an 87-86 lead and force a Pelicans timeout.
New Orleans finally stopped the run with their first field goal of the half as Derik Queen scored over LeBron to tie the game at 88-88. LeBron finally went to the bench at the seven-minute mark of the fourth with LA up 93-90.
Luka drew a big charge at the five-minute mark, which coincided with LeBron’s return with the Lakers up five. Jake LaRavia got his first basket on a rebound putback, extending the lead to seven.
With the Lakers up just four and just under three minutes remaining, LeBron and Luka worked a pick and roll that ended in a layup for the latter. Luka delivered the dagger on the next possession, hoisting up a 3-pointer while falling out of bounds as the shot clock expired, his second in the final five minutes of the game, to make it a nine-point lead.
Luka put the finishing touches on the game at the free throw line as he and LeBron each reached the 30-point mark.
Key Player Stats
Luka and LeBron, once again, did the heavy lifting offensively. Luka tallied 30 points with 10 assists. LeBron chipped in 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
After a slow start to the game, Smart finished with 13 points after hitting three 3-pointers in the third quarter. Ayton had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Jarred Vanderbilt had seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals off the bench. Jake LaRavia had five points and a handful of big hustle plays in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers will be right back in action on Wednesday when they play at San Antonio. Tip is set for 6:30 PM PT.
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