The Los Angeles Lakers erased an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-101 on Tuesday night, March 3, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The win lifts Los Angeles to 37-24 and extends the club’s winning streak to three games.
Guard Luka Doncic opened the contest with a three-pointer, but forward Trey Murphy III matched him immediately, setting the tone for a back-and-forth first period. Despite 11 first-quarter points from Zion Williamson, New Orleans carried only a 33-31 advantage into the second quarter.
LeBron James powered the Lakers to their first double-digit lead early in the second, scoring nine straight points, converting a pair of three-point plays and assisting Deandre Ayton on an alley-oop dunk. A Doncic three pushed the margin to 10, yet New Orleans closed the half on a surge and trailed just 54-51 at intermission.
Marcus Smart sparked Los Angeles after the break with a steal that led to a James transition dunk, but 20 team turnovers hampered the Lakers throughout the third quarter. Austin Reaves, cold for much of the night, finally broke through with consecutive drives, though the Pelicans reclaimed the lead and entered the fourth ahead 78-76.
The Pelicans stretched that cushion to eight when Williamson completed a three-point play early in the final period. Head coach JJ Redick’s team responded with a 7-0 run capped by a Reaves layup. Reaves later buried a corner three to put L.A. back on top, and Doncic added an inside bucket for a lead the Lakers never surrendered. Williamson scored twice more to trim the gap to two, but Smart’s late three-pointer effectively sealed the outcome.
Up Next
Los Angeles faces a demanding back-to-back later this week, visiting the Denver Nuggets on Thursday before returning home to host the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
Source: LakersNation.com
