Balanced Offensive Attack From Lakers Overwhelm Pelicans Defense

The New Orleans Pelicans fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 139-122 Friday night at the cryto.com center in downtown L.A. The loss snaps the Pelicans' four-game-winning streak as the team winds down their schedule before the All-Star break. Friday's loss was disappointing, considering the top-tier performance the Pelicans had in the same building against the Clippers on Wednesday night.

New Orleans' two stars, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, started the game on fire. The duo combined for 30 of the Pelicans' 39 first-quarter points. New Orleans took advantage of Lakers forward Anthony Davis's three first-quarter fouls by scoring 24 points in the paint. As a team, the Pels shot 14/20 from the field, leading the Lakers by three points heading into the second quarter.

The Pelicans advantage quickly vanished when Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell couldn't miss from the field. Russell scored 14 points in less than three minutes, and Los Angeles gained a double-digit lead. His scoring was infectious for the rest of the Lakers team. L.A. scored 51 points in the quarter while committing just one turnover in the half. All five Lakers starters scored in double-figures in the half, thanks to their hot shooting from beyond the arc. Coming into the game, Los Angeles averaged 11 made three-point shots per game. In the first half on Friday, the Lakers made 11 threes in the half and led by 13 points.

New Orleans came out of halftime with a different mindset to open the third quarter. They went on a 14-2 to chip the Lakers lead to single digits, but Los Angeles continued to get easy shots at the bucket. The Lakers had 50 points in the paint after three quarters and finished the third quarter in style. D'Angelo Russell hit two straight three-pointers late in the period to push the L.A. lead to 13 points. Russell finished the night with 30 points.

The Pelicans didn't muster much of a comeback in the final quarter. Los Angeles continued to put pressure on New Orleans' interior defense. The Lakers finished with 68 points in the paint, and all starters scored at least 20 points. Zion Williamson did his part with 30 points, but after the hot start by Brandon Ingram, he cooled off tremendously. Ingram scored just six points after the first quarter, shooting 2/10 in the final three quarters. This game may go down as the worst defensive performance from the Pelicans this year.

Los Angeles shot 55% from the field while dishing out 32 assists on 49 made baskets. The Pelicans don't have long to regroup. They travel to Portland Saturday night on the second night of a back-to-back. Portland has one of the fastest pace in the NBA, so New Orleans must be ready to match the Trail Blazers' energy. The Pelicans end their four-game road trip on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies.