Panzura postgame wrap: Pelicans 131, Lakers 126

Pelicans (27-27), Lakers (25-29)

An uphill battle turned into a New Orleans second-half surge, which turned into a nail-biting finish, then an epic Pelicans victory. Trailing for nearly all of the first three quarters Saturday, New Orleans finally grabbed a lead in clutch time, then put away the Lakers for a much-needed win that halted a 10-game losing streak.

Trey Murphy sank two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, giving the Pelicans a three-possession advantage at 131-124. Things got a little dicey after a Lakers layup and a Pelicans turnover, but the Lakers turned the ball right back over to the hosts. CJ McCollum dribbled out the remaining time and tossed the ball skyward to celebrate.

PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME

In his fifth game since returning from a toe injury, Brandon Ingram was outstanding, piling up 35 points on 15/28 shooting. “He looked like the Brandon that we’re all accustomed to seeing,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said of his performance. “He was calling certain plays he wanted for himself, finding his teammates, attacking the basket. Good to have Brandon back and playing at a high level.”

27: LeBron James points. The 20-year NBA veteran is now 36 points shy of setting the all-time NBA scoring record. The Lakers next host Oklahoma City on Tuesday (TNT).18: Jose Alvarado points off the bench, perhaps an under-the-radar aspect of Saturday’s win (three starters tallied at least 21 points, while Herb Jones provided valuable defense (four steals).11: Days until the next Pelicans-Lakers matchup, which will take place in Los Angeles and conclude the unofficial first half of the season for both teams. The season series is now tied 1-1.

REVISITING FANDUEL KEYS TO THE GAME

REGAIN PAINT DOMINANCEThe teams played to a virtual draw in rebounding (NOLA 48-44) and points in the paint (NOLA 60-58), so a bit shy of the objective.

BREAK OUT FROM THREEAnother New Orleans cold start got a tad better later, but overall perimeter shooting was again a negative for the Pelicans, as they shot 9/30 on threes (30 percent). However, Murphy delivered a couple daggers in the fourth quarter to gain some separation from the Lakers.

MATCHUP TO WATCHFormer Lakers Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. (10 points, nine rebounds in 24 minutes) both made enormous contributions.

Ingram’s 35-point eruption lifted writer Jim Eichenhofer to a victory and a lead in Pelicans.com’s Saturday-games contest, surpassing Ingram’s season average of 20.5 by a wide margin. The fan-vote selection, Murphy also eclipsed his average of 12.5, but by slightly less (the second-year forward deposited 21 points). That makes the season standings: Jim 3, Joe 2, Gus 1, Fans 1. Next Saturday game: Feb. 25 at New York.