Lakers use fourth quarter rally to down Pelicans

The Lakers used a big fourth quarter run down the stretch to secure a third straight win, knocking off the Pelicans 110-101.

After falling behind by nearly double digits midway through the final frame, LA closed the game on a 24-7 run. They finished with 12 blocks, six of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Turnovers were a huge, huge issue through the first three quarters as they committed 20. However, they had just one in the fourth. New Orleans had 21 points off turnovers, but LA turned 18 Pelicans turnovers into 29 points.

The game began with teams exchanging 3-pointers. Trey Murphy III was off to a strong start for the Pelicans with nine points. LeBron James, meanwhile, led the Lakers with five points. Los Angeles was forced to call a timeout after falling behind by four. 

Out of the break, they missed a shot, which led to a layup by Zion Williamson on the other end. 

Austin Reaves’ struggles led to LA’s two turnovers early in the quarter. A quick 5-0 run put the Lakers within one with 4:32 left in the first. Former Lakers big man DeAndre Jordan was having a nice quarter for New Orleans with four points. 

At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by two.

The second period began with Zion getting fouled and converting on both free throws. Marcus Smart connected with LeBron on the other end for a dunk. LA went on a 9-0 run, all thanks to LeBron, who now had 16 points.

After Deandre Ayton converted on a dunk, the Pelicans called a timeout. 

Out of the break, Saddiq Bey scored on a layup, but that was the only points for the Pelicans as Los Angeles’ run was up to 16-2. New Orleans suddenly woke up offensively, scoring seven straight points.

Murphy picked up his third foul, which forced him to the bench for the rest of the half. Ayton stopped the bleeding for LA with a dunk. 

Los Angeles picked up its defense, forcing the Pelicans into turnovers. New Orleans went on a three-minute scoring drought until Bey converted on a layup

Zion scored four more points, helping the Pelicans inch closer. A midrange jumper from Dončić, however, gave the Lakers a three-point lead at halftime. 

Zion opened the third by converting on a layup. Smart responded on the other end with a triple. LA picked up its defense once again. A steal by Smart led to a dunk on the other end by LeBron, giving them a seven-point lead.

Reaves was unfortunately still cold offensively, missing his first eight shot attempts.

New Orleans began to surge, scoring nine in a row to jump ahead by one. The Lakers called a timeout, then turned the ball over for the eighth time in the quarter immediately after, bringing their total for the game to 18. 

Luka scored on a midrange jumper to stop some of the bleeding.

Reaves finally got on the board with a much-needed layup. He then stole the ball on the other end and scored on another jumper. That momentum was cut short when the Pelicans pushed their lead to five.

Going into the fourth period, the Lakers were trailing by two. 

The final frame started with Jake LaRavia scoring on a layup after messing up their first possession. A free throw by LeBron put LA up by one.

Bey responded with a triple on the other end. Los Angeles had been battling back and forth, cutting the deficit down a few times. 

New Orleans eventually put some cushion on their lead, jumping ahead by eight, their largest advantage of the night. 

A massive 12-0 surge by the Lakers put them up by four with 4:29 left. After such a rough start, Reaves was now at 13 points and was a major catalyst for this scoring run, draining two 3-pointers. 

The Lakers extended their scoring run to 19-4 after a 3-pointer from Smart. All of LA’s starters were now in double figures. 

Luka then drained a triple of his own, putting the team up by 10, a capper on a big win and big fourth. 

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. LeBron netted 21 points with seven rebounds and seven assists. Reaves had a slow offensive night with 15 points, most of that coming in the fourth. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished three dimes. 

Ayton scored 13 points with eight rebounds. Kennard had nine points off the bench. Jaxson Hayes pitched in with eight points and six rebounds. Smart notched 10 points with seven rebounds. 

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.