Anthony Davis scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 104-99 on Saturday night, earning their fifth straight win.
LeBron James couldn’t extend his streak of four consecutive triple-doubles, but he still contributed 21 points, including two important 3-pointers in the final two minutes. Rookie Dalton Knecht scored 27 points, and Austin Reaves added 10.
For the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram scored 32 points, Jaylen Nowell came off the bench to score 16, Brandon Boston Jr. added 12, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl finished with 10.
The Pelicans led by 10 points at halftime, but Davis scored the Lakers’ first five points of the third quarter. Knecht then hit two 3-pointers in a row as part of an 11-2 run that brought Los Angeles within one point at 58-57.
New Orleans pushed their lead back to six points, but Davis and Knecht each scored five points to help the Lakers move ahead 67-63.
Ingram made a basket for the Pelicans, but Davis scored five points, and D’Angelo Russell hit a 3-pointer to keep Los Angeles in the lead, 75-71, going into the final quarter.
The Lakers started the fourth quarter with six straight points to push their lead to 10. The Pelicans then got on a 9-0 run, cutting the Lakers’ lead to just one point.
New Orleans tied the game at 87 with a 3-pointer from Robinson-Earl. The score was tied again two more times, but then James and Knecht hit consecutive layups. Boston and Ingram followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Pelicans a 97-95 lead.
James responded by hitting two 3-pointers in a row, putting the Lakers up 101-97 with 37 seconds remaining.
The Pelicans had a chance to tie the game, but Robinson-Earl turned the ball over on an inbounds pass with 1.3 seconds left. Knecht then sealed the win by making two free throws.
The Pelicans began the game strong with an 11-0 run, taking a 20-9 lead and finishing the first quarter up 30-21.
Nowell scored nine points to help New Orleans build a 15-point lead, with the second instance being a 53-38 advantage. James scored six points in the final 3:13 of the second quarter, and the Lakers went into halftime trailing 56-46.
