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The Los Angeles Lakers were slow out of the gate but rallied to a relatively comfortable 112-95 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Laker’s defense got off to a slow start as the Pelicans took each of their first five shots from the field, coming up 11-5. Anthony Davis was active registering a block and a steal, but offensively Los Angeles was unable to convert to wide-open looks.
Brandon Ingram started rolling by hitting a few midrange jumpers and getting into the lane, while the Lakers struggled to try to score against a crowded painted area. New Orleans eventually calmed down, but Los Angeles’ struggles to shoot both from the field and from the free throw line caused them to lose 28-20 after the first quarter.
The start of the second was no different for the Lakers as they had no response for a Pelicans team that constantly had players obstructing the lane. Montrezl Harrell was able to provide a much needed score, but New Orleans heated up again and managed to extend their lead to 15 points.
Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso kicked off an 11-0 run after draining back-to-back triplets, but Ingram responded with five quick points to keep the Pelicans in the lead. Davis was able to carry the scoring burden throughout the streak, creating a 9-2 run that only put the team behind 58-57 at the half.
The Lakers took their first lead since the opening quarter after a drop from LeBron James to Davis, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope followed with a pair of 3. Zion Williamson and Ingram combined for a 10-2 push. to briefly bring the Pelicans back to the top, but Los Angeles responded.
Defensively, the Purple and Gold were much more engaged as they did a better job of rotating and challenging shots. The Lakers really got things going in a 15-0 run, qualifying for fourth place 84-75.
New Orleans started the period with a 5-0 run, but James and Harrell were able to counter them and keep them at bay. Alex Caruso helped extend the Laker’s lead to 17 after finding Harrell for a and-1 and later draining a three.
Los Angeles was able to keep control of the game and came away with another solid win, their fifth in a row.
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