Lakers secure win over Pelicans to gain ground in the West.
NEW ORLEANS — The Lakers returned to the win column with a dominant 123–108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, improving their record to 34–35.
With an explosive start against New Orleans, leading by as many as 40 points, the Lakers capped off their performance with a 75-point first half, making 15 threes — the most in a half in franchise history.
“It’s hard to play with a lead of that magnitude,” said head coach Darvin Ham. “We just had to stay the course, told them to stay aggressive.”
The Lakers shot 46% from three on 18-for-39 and 49% total from the field on 40-of-82.
After scoring just 17 points on 18 shots against the Knicks and 8 points against the Raptors in the previous two games, Anthony Davis bounced back with a dominant outing on Tuesday, scoring 35 points on 11-for-18 (61%) shooting and 17 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
Coming off a cold shooting slump from behind the arc, Malik Beasley showed his ability to get hot from deep in the first half, making seven threes. Beasley finished second on the team with 24 points on 7-for-12 (58%) shooting from behind the arc.
“I felt confident tonight. I just told myself to keep doing what I’m doing; don't change anything up,” said Beasley. “Don’t worry about the pressure of making shots.”
Beasley was just the third Laker in franchise history to make seven or more threes in a single half, with Glen Rice making seven in 1999 and Kobe Bryant making eight in 2003, according to NBA History.
Austin Reaves continued his success from the bench, knocking down a dagger step-back three over Brandon Ingram to give the Lakers a 19-point lead and seal the game. Reaves shot 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from three for 14 points, adding five assists and four rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench.
D’Angelo Russell made up for his shooting struggles, going just 5-for-15 (33%) from the field with 17 points, with constant energy on the defensive end, finishing with five rebounds, two blocks, and two assists.
The Lakers’ next matchup comes on the second night of a back-to-back this Wednesday on the road against the Houston Rockets at 5:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet.
