LOS ANGELES — The win had grit, sprawl-out-on-the-floor energy from role players and a comeback ending. In recent weeks, the Lakers had become accustomed to squandering double-digit leads or struggling to spark runs when trailing.

Sometimes, as Luka Doncic said after the Lakers’ 110-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, good teams can win playing bad.

“I think we responded in a good way,” said Doncic, who led the Lakers with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, draining a 3-pointer with a minute left for a 10-point lead, part of the Lakers’ 24-7 run to close the game.

“Sometimes you got to win playing bad. That’s what good teams do. I think that’s what it is today. Obviously it wasn’t our best game, but we managed to get a win.”

Tuesday night was a reminder of what the Lakers had been earlier this season. Their 14-0 run late in the fourth quarter flipped the game on its head and was a flashback – a reminder – of how they played during a 15-4 start to the season, Lakers coach JJ Redick said. The Lakers’ third consecutive win proved they could rally for a comeback victory, something Redick felt he hadn’t seen in the flesh since November.

“A lot of those early wins when we started 15-4, we had a number of double-digit deficits in the second half and just stuck with it and kept playing,” Redick said. “And it was a good win for our group to be able to do that again.”

Plays such as Marcus Smart’s four steals, battling Zion Williamson’s physicality head-on, Jaxson Hayes’ hustle offensive rebounds or the Lakers’ seven fourth-quarter blocked shots pushed the Pelicans into submission.

“We fought, but it was one of those good fights,” said Smart, who finished with 10 points, seven assists, four steals and three blocks in a performance LeBron James and Redick lauded postgame. “Even though we were down and things were looking a little shady for us, not once did you know, on the bench, did anybody start freaking out or start panicking. And you know, that’s what you need, especially in those chaotic moments.”

James added 21 points and Deandre Ayton had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who overcame 21 turnovers. Their late surge was led by Doncic (10-of-22 shooting) and Austin Reaves, who missed his first eight shots of the night before finishing with 15 points.

New Orleans (19-44), still sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings but finally healthy, opened an eight-point lead with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Lakers finally awoke and held the Pelicans scoreless over the next 4:18. Reaves hit a 3-pointer with 5:04 left to put the Lakers back ahead 96-94, and Smart and Doncic hit clutch 3-pointers in the final two minutes to seal it.

“We got stops,” James said. “We defended at a high level and like he said, we had – what, seven blocks in the fourth, … so, that’s big-time for us.”

James, who added seven rebounds and seven assists, shot 8 of 12 from the field to move within two baskets of tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who holds the NBA’s career record for field goals at 15,837.

Williamson, sidelined by a right ankle sprain for the Pelicans’ loss to the Clippers on Sunday – their only defeat in a five-game stretch – was back in the lineup. The Pelicans jumped out to a 16-12 lead in the first quarter after Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray made back-to-back 3-pointers before the former capped the run with a one-handed dunk to force Redick to call a timeout.

Turning to a Doncic- and Reaves-led lineup for a handful of minutes, the Lakers used a 9-2 run to close the deficit to one, using a three-point play from Doncic – who cut through Derek Queen and DeAndre Jordan to force contact and convert a 13-foot floater.

Then, James took over. Smart tossed a should-have-been alley-oop to James, who fell backward but controlled the pass as he fell to the floor. Continuing his dribble afterward, he spun, maneuvered to the rim and dunked through contact – and a foul from Murray – for a 37-35 lead with 10:48 left in the second quarter.

James burst by Jordan, forcing the 37-year-old former Laker to foul for a three-point play to extend the lead to five. Later in the quarter, after Smart swindled a second consecutive steal, Smart gave and go with James down the hardwood on his way to a classic, driving one-handed dunk to take a 63-56 lead with 8:01 to go in the third quarter.

Having trailed by as much as 10, the Pelicans used a nine-point run to grab the lead – one they held until Reaves sank his 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter. And with 1:34 remaining, Smart’s aforementioned 3-pointer from the right corner, where he fell to the court as Williamson attempted to deny the shot, gave the Lakers enough breathing room to hold on.

“For the longest time we were one of the best clutch teams in the NBA,” Reaves said. “I think it was pretty much perfect at one point. You are going to lose a couple. That doesn’t mean it’s chaos. You got to stick with what the coaching staff is telling you.”

James, 41, will have to wait until Thursday night in Denver to surpass Abdul-Jabbar’s mark, which has stood since his retirement following the 1988-89 season. James already holds the NBA record for career points, breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s other longstanding record with a fadeaway jumper on Feb. 7, 2023.

Williamson scored 24 points in his return. Murphy added 21 points and Saddiq Bey had 18.

NOTES

The Lakers received three technical fouls in the game; charged to Luke Kennard, Doncic and Ayton. Doncic’s technical was his 14th of the season – he wasn’t whistled for a second despite clapping at a referee to protest a no-call in the final minutes. He’ll be suspended for one game if he gets a 16th “T” during the remaining 21 regular-season games.

Daily Bulletin

Message History

Delivery option(s)