LeBron James scored 30 points and Luka Doncic delivered a 30-point, 10-assist performance to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the New Orleans Pelicans 111-103 on Tuesday night.
Doncic punctuated the win by drilling two off-balance, shot-clock–beating 3-pointers late, while Deandre Ayton added 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Lakers won for the fourth time in their last five games. The loss extended New Orleans’ skid to eight straight.
Trey Murphy III poured in a career-high 41 points for the Pelicans, who also got 15 points from Zion Williamson and a double-double from rookie Derik Queen with 10 points and 13 rebounds. New Orleans led by as many as nine late in the third quarter, with Karlo Matkovic’s free throws pushing the advantage to 83-74.
Los Angeles seized control early in the fourth, opening the period on an 18-4 run fueled by two deep 3-pointers from James, a triple by Dalton Knecht and a pair of inside baskets from Ayton. The Lakers went up 97-90 and never let the Pelicans closer than four the rest of the way. Los Angeles shot 50.6 percent from the field, while New Orleans hit 44 percent and missed 30 of its 40 attempts from beyond the arc.
Both teams return to action Wednesday, with the Lakers visiting San Antonio and the Pelicans traveling to Atlanta.
