Only about 24 hours after losing a big game to the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers took the court again on Friday evening for a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans came in with the second-worst record in the Western Conference and a very depleted roster, but early on, it looked like they were on their way to handing L.A. yet another inexcusable loss to an inferior squad. They led 10-3 in the opening minutes and ended the first quarter on top, 30-25, as L.A.'s focus and intensity were choppy, and it allowed Jose Alvarado to get hot for 18 points in that first period.
But starting in the second quarter, the Lakers started to take control of the contest. With little firepower to call upon, New Orleans had no way to respond, and the Lakers ended up pulling away for a 124-108 victory.
It wasn't a very pretty win, but it did give them a half-game cushion in the Western Conference standings over the fourth-place Denver Nuggets. With a 47-30 record, they're now in third place, and if they take care of business, that spot is where they could finish the regular season.
Dorian Finney-Smith: C
With Rui Hachimura held out of action, Finney-Smith got the start at one forward position. He took just four shots and made two of them, and he went 1-of-3 from 3-point range. He finished with an underwhelming five points, two rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
Fortunately, his best wasn't needed on this evening.
Jaxson Hayes: B-plus
Hayes had scored a total of just seven points in his previous three games. While he scored a modest six points on Friday, he didn't make a significant impact in other ways. He snatched 12 rebounds and had two blocks and one steal in 24 minutes. That's the type of contribution the team needs from him as much as possible.
Austin Reaves: A
Not only did Reaves score 30 points, but he was extremely efficient. He shot 8-of-13 from the field, 6-of-9 from 3-point range and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, and 14 of his points came in the third quarter when the Lakers held off a rally by New Orleans that brought New Orleans to within one point.
He also dished off seven assists and had only one turnover in 36 minutes.
LeBron James: B-plus
James was also fairly efficient on Friday. Despite appearing to injure his thumb at one point in the first half, he shot 9-of-17 overall and scored 27 points, to go along with eight assists and just one turnover.
He scored 10 points in the second quarter when the Lakers started to take control and another 14 points in the final quarter when they put the game away.
Luka Doncic: A
After going 6-of-17 on Thursday versus Golden State, Doncic missed his first seven shot attempts on Friday, and it looked like it would be another bad night for him. But his shot started to loosen up afterward, and he finished a very respectable 10-of-21 from the field and 4-of-10 ...
