During the Tuesday night NBA slate, the Los Angeles Lakers comfortably defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 123-108 with 35 points and 17 rebounds from Anthony Davis and seven 3-pointers from Malik Beasley in the first half.
Davis overwhelmed the Pelicans’ lack of interior presence, and Beasley’s sharpshooting was instrumental in establishing an early edge. The Lakers finished the night going 18 of 39 from 3-point range, including 15 of 27 before halftime, setting a franchise record. Beasley finished with 24 points.
“I felt confident tonight,” Beasley said. “I told myself keep doing what I’m doing and don’t worry about the pressure of making shots.”
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
In their battle for a postseason spot, the Lakers (34-35) and Pelicans (33-36) both added 17 points to move ahead in the standings. If these two teams finish with the same record, the Lakers will hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series 3-1.
“It was very important for us, just for standing purposes, tiebreaker purposes and then getting back in the win column,” Davis said
Davis explained: “I just wanted to come out ultra aggressive tonight, knowing how important this game was. Everybody did. We were playing the right way, playing great defensively and sharing the ball offensively, playing together and we were clicking on all cylinders.”
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
The 22 points Brandon Ingram scored in his return to the lineup were not enough to offset the loss for New Orleans.
“We let their shot-making just demoralize us,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Our sense of urgency was lacking, but it just came down to they made shots early. We missed a ton of them.
“When we don’t start with a sense of urgency, play fast or play with force, it demoralizes our spirit,” Green added. “We have to, some way or somehow, figure that part out.”
A pull-up jumper by Ingram reduced the Pelicans’ deficit to 13 after the break when Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III each scored 20. With five minutes left to play, Jones stole Davis’ pass and attempted to start a fast break that could have taken New Orleans as close as 11 points. Jones, however, was called for a foul for moving to prevent Russell from catching Jones’ pass after Russell tipped Jones’ pass.
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
After that exchange, the Lakers pushed their lead to 18, beginning a mini-run of 7-2. Starting with a layup while being fouled, a made 3-pointer, and a stepback jumper from Davis, the Lakers scored the game’s first 14 points. As a result, Los Angeles’ lead remained below ten after Beasley and Russell each hit three.
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