Sloppy Pelicans Lose To Lakers In La La Land

Pelicans head into All-Star break with a disappointing loss.

New Orleans, LA- The Pelicans looked like a team ready for a mini-break. Los Angeles defeated New Orleans 120-102 in the final game before the All-Star break. It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Lakers who never trailed in this game.

The first quarter started with a bang for L.A. Within the first couple minutes they led 8-0 and at one point grabbed a 15-point lead. New Orleans had no answers for Anthony Davis. Davis would score nine points in the quarter and spearhead a 38-25 lead after one. 

New Orleans would show some fight in second quarter, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Pelicans held the Lakers to 17 second-quarter points and cut the deficit to four by halftime. Defensively the Pels locked in by communicating better on rotations and defensive assignments. New Orleans allowed 66% shooting by the Lakers in the first quarter. By halftime, the New Orleans defense dropped that percentage to 53% for L.A.

The Lakers dominated the second half of play. D’Angelo Russell scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter, and Los Angeles outscored New Orleans by 10, including a 22-10 run to close the quarter.

© Provided by Pelicans Scoop on FanNation Feb 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) moves to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Richardson (2) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The lead balooned to 20 in the fourth, and the Lakers cruised the rest of the way. Despite Brandon Ingram’s 25 points, the Pelicans looked inept offensively most of the evening. Ingram scored 25 points for his sixth straight game, a career-high.

In his first game back since becoming the league’s All-Time leading scorer, LeBron James scored 21 points, dished out six assists, and grabbed six rebounds. Los Angeles dictated pace from start to finish and dominated most of the stat sheet. 

L.A. won the fast break battle 19-6. They also outscored New Orleans 56-48 in the paint. The Pelicans would commit 15 turnovers that the Lakers would score twenty points on. New Orleans would hit just seven three-points shots in the game.

The loss drops the Pelicans to 10-19 on the road this season. The break comes in time for New Orleans to regroup and get healthy for the stretch run. They will look to make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.

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