Luka, LeBron Combine for 48 as Lakers Stun Pelicans With Late 24-7 Run
Slovenian international Luka Dončić scored 27 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the New Orleans Pelicans, 110–101, on Tuesday night, marking their third consecutive victory. He added 10 rebounds and 7 assists, playing a pivotal role in securing the victory over the Pels. NBA star LeBron James added 21 points for the Lakers, contributing sumptuously in the victory. Along with James and Doncic, the Bahamian international, DeAndre Ayton, also added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers.
Dončić, with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in 37 minutes, led the Los Angeles Lakers with a late-game surge despite committing seven turnovers. In Tuesday’s match, the Slovenian international hit clutch fourth-quarter threes, including a big three in the final couple of minutes. Luka Dončić commented after the match that he believed they had responded in a good way. He explained that sometimes a team has to win even when playing badly, adding that good teams are able to do that, and that was what had happened that day. Dončić admitted that it had not been their best game, but they had still managed to secure the win. During the second quarter, Doncic was given a technical foul, whereas Luke Kennard and Ayton got a technical foul in the third and fourth quarter respectively.
For the Pelicans, Zion Williamson scored 24 points, marking his arrival after his return from a one-game absence due to an ankle sprain suffered last Saturday. Along with Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey scored 21 and 18 points, respectively, mitigating the Pels’ defeat against the Lakers. At one point in the match, the Pelicans had an eight-point lead with over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but they yielded to the Lakers’ mentality and held the Southwest Division’s team scoreless over the next 4:18.
Following the 110–101 victory on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers now sit at 10th in the NBA league standings 2025-26. The Lakers now have a .607 winning percentage with an average point differential of +0.6.
In the match, LeBron James contributed seven rebounds and seven assists, while shooting 8-of-12 from the field to move within two baskets of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career record of 15,837 field goals. LeBron James commented after the match that they had known they were not playing against their opponent’s record that night. He explained that it had been the first time in quite a while that the opposing team had been fully healthy, and they were aware of what kind of team it could be when whole.
He added that they had entered the game with that mindset, understanding the quality of the team they were facing, noting that the opponent had won four of its last five games before that night. However, he emphasized that they had not approached the game thinking about the team’s record, but rather with the understanding that they were facing a very athletic squad that had been playing exceptional basketball recently.
The Lakers’ schedule continues Thursday, when they host the Denver Nuggets at 7:00 p.m. PT.
