During the Wednesday night NBA slate, the new-look Los Angeles Lakers won 120-102 over the New Orleans Pelicans. LeBron James scored 21 points in his return to the lineup, while Anthony Davis set the tone with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers won just their second game in six after welcoming back D’Angelo Russell with 21 points and seven assists. The Lakers never trailed in one of their most impressive performances of the season as five new players made their home debuts after last week’s busy trade deadline.
“There was a huge emphasis on getting this win,” Davis said. “Guys came out and played with a lot of energy and urgency. … It was only our first game together, but it looked good.”
After breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record on Feb. 7, James played only 29 minutes — setting a season-low for minutes played in a single game.
“I feel really good about what we’ve got brewing, but we need to lock in,” James said. “It’s the first time we’ve all been on the floor together, so we wanted to see what it looks like, and the first 40 minutes looked pretty good.”
NBA SCORES & NEWS: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
Since Russell spent the first two seasons of his NBA career playing for Los Angeles before getting traded four times and finally returning last week, Russell’s debut was a homecoming for him. As he performed impressive playmaking, Russell repeatedly urged the audience to give the Lakers standing ovations, showing his delight to be back in Hollywood.
As Russell pointed to the letters on his chest after hitting a 3-pointer in the second half, he screamed, “Like I never left! ”
“I love those moments,” Russell said. “We had Bron tonight, and we seemed a little more fluid. Everybody pitched in. Everybody played a major part in keeping the lead, maintaining it, getting stops. I like what we showcased tonight.”
With a 27-32 record at the All-Star break, the Lakers find themselves in 13th place in the Western Conference. There is still plenty of season left to be played, and they’ve gained some helpful new contributors to get into the play-in tournament picture.
As the Lakers deployed their 30th starting lineup of the season, Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley appeared alongside James and Davis for the first time.
“It was just hot,” Beasley said. “We wanted to make a statement and do what we do.”
NBA SCORES & NEWS: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 25 points, and C.J. McCollum added 22 points and nine assists in his return to game action after missing one game due to a sprained right ankle.
“We just didn’t play with a sense of urgency, and those were my end-of-game comments to our team,” coach Willie Green said. “We have to play with more force and have a sense of urgency that we just didn’t have tonight. Not a great effort on our part.”
Want the latest in NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here.
