It wasn't a work of art, but it was enough to get the job done.
After being outplayed in the third quarter, the Lakers entered the fourth down seven in their visit to New Orleans against the Pelicans. At that point, LeBron James took over, looking extremely spry as he put on an offensive show (including one steal and finish at the other end). Luka Dončić hit a pair of improbable 3's late, and the defense held down the Pels en route to a 111-103 win.
Overall, it was probably LeBron's strongest game of the year, finishing with 30/8/8. He was able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, which should help him get a little more space on his jumper. (James was 3-5 from 3-point range on the night.) Dončić didn't hit a three in the first half, but had two big ones late - including one circus shot to bail the Lakers out on a bad trip - and along the way, threw two of the most incredible lob passes you'll ever see. FInal line, 30 points (11-22 shooting) along with 10 dimes.
The Lakers also saw very strong contributions from Deandre Ayton (18/11) and Jarred Vanderbilt (7/8/4, with tons of energy).
And the defense really tightened up. New Orleans was held to 17 points in the final frame, and while some of that can be attributed to it being the Pelicans, but overall the Lakers did a good job with specific strategic actions, like putting heavy ball pressure on Zion Williamson.
And importantly, the Lakers had (with the exception of the opening minutes of the third quarter) played hard, even when they weren't playing well. Which matters a lot. Had they sleepwalked through bigger stretches, they could have dropped a very important game.
Wednesday, the Lakers are in San Antonio, and will still be shorthanded. Really big to pick up the win on Tuesday.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: Luka and LeBron come up big, Lakers win.
SEGMENT 2: It helps to try all the time.
SEGMENT 3: Who plays against the Spurs on Wednesday?
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