The Los Angeles Lakers, after getting destroyed by the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, got back on the court on Friday for an Emirates NBA Cup group play game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans came into this matchup with a 2-9 record and were short-handed, as they were without Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray.
Los Angeles started to find its game about midway through the first quarter when it scored 15 unanswered points and took a 25-11 lead. It led 65-52 at halftime, and its advantage grew to as many as 22 points in the third quarter, but then it took its foot off the accelerator.
The Pelicans came to within eight points in the fourth period, and their 11-1 rally forced Lakers coach JJ Redick to play his starters for much of the final frame. L.A. had enough left in its tank to create a little more separation and come away with a 118-104 victory to improve to 2-2 on this five-game road trip.
The Purple and Gold shot 52.4% from the field and had 28 assists, and they held New Orleans to just 43.8% overall shooting while forcing 20 turnovers. Despite being one of the slowest-paced teams in the NBA to start this season, they managed to put up 22 fast-break points, and overall, they played with more pace than they have in previous games.
The Lakers now have a 9-4 overall record and are 2-0 in Emirates NBA Cup group play. This road trip will conclude for them on Saturday against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. They will be back home on Tuesday to host the Utah Jazz.
Marcus Smart: B-minus
Smart has historically been a below-average 3-point shooter, and on this night in New Orleans, he couldn’t throw a marble into the Gulf of Mexico. He missed all but one of his 10 3-point attempts and went 6-of-15 overall from the field, but he contributed enough in other areas.
He had five rebounds, five assists and two steals, to go along with 13 points, in 34 minutes.
Rui Hachimura: B/B-plus
Hachimura received slightly fewer offensive opportunities than he has so far this season, but he was still efficient with the ones he did get. He made six of his 10 field-goal attempts and two of his five 3-point tries, giving him 14 points, to go along with four rebounds and one steal in 35 minutes.
Deandre Ayton: A
After three straight subpar games, Ayton broke out with a hearty performance on Friday.
He made all but one of his 11 shot attempts to score 20 points, and even better, he grabbed 16 rebounds and was very active when it came to going after boards. He also contributed two assists, two steals and one block in 36 minutes, and overall, he played with an excellent level of energy and activity.
One measure of that energy and activity was the fact that he committed five fouls. While committing five fouls presents a problem, one may prefer that to getting no more than one or two fouls, as the latter would be an indication that he isn’t making enough of an effort defensively and on the boards.
Austin Reaves: A
Reaves shot poorly in his five previous games, especially after he came back from a groin strain earlier this week. But he looked like his old self on Friday.
He went 9-of-16 from the field and did a good job of attacking the basket. He shot a mediocre 2-of-6 from downtown, but he did his usual thing in terms of drawing fouls, allowing him to go 11-of-13 from the free throw line. Reaves finished with 31 points, and he also dished off seven assists while chipping in four rebounds, one steal and one block.
Luka Doncic: B/B-plus
Doncic shot just 6-of-16 from the field on Friday, and the Pelicans did a good job of sending a second defender at him and forcing him to give up the basketball. But when he gave up the basketball, good things still happened.
He ended up with 12 assists, as well as 24 points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block. He struggled a bit from the free throw line, going 9-of-13 there, but having Reaves return to form should take pressure off Doncic to always be L.A. main table-setter offensively.
Jake LaRavia: C
This was a quiet game for LaRavia. He played 22 minutes but only attempted four shots and no 3-pointers. He made three of his four field-goal attempts and scored six points, and he also had three rebounds. However, LaRavia helped out on the defensive end by getting three steals and two blocks.
Jarred Vanderbilt: C
Lately, Vanderbilt seems to have played well every other game. On Wednesday, he had nine rebounds in 19 minutes, but against New Orleans, he obtained only two boards in 11 minutes. He came up with two steals and one assist while going 1-of-4 from the floor to score three points. His lone made basket was a 3-pointer.
Jaxson Hayes: C
In 12 minutes, Hayes made one of his three shot attempts, with one of his misses coming on a dunk attempt. He finished with two points, three rebounds and one assist.
Dalton Knecht: C
Knecht got 10 minutes of playing time and went 2-of-5 overall and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc to finish with five points and one rebound.
