The New Orleans Pelicans, the Los Angeles Lakers’ opponent in Thursday’s semifinal round of the NBA in-season tournament, have been pegged as a team on the rise. Since early last season, some have even felt they’re a potential championship contender.
But on Thursday night in Las Vegas, the Lakers gave New Orleans a hard and painful lesson in what it takes to play winning basketball in big games.
They jumped to an early lead, but New Orleans fought back by continuously attacking the paint and pounding the offensive glass. However, the Lakers controlled the second quarter, scoring 38 points in that frame, to go up by 13 points at halftime.
From that point, it was a laugher. Los Angeles made a mockery of the young Pelicans. It outscored its opponents, 43-17, in the third quarter, resulting in plenty of garbage time down the stretch. The final score of 133-89 illustrated just how lopsided this contest was, and it was the first time in 13 seasons the Lakers had won a game by at least 40 points.
They won many of the effort categories in this contest. They outrebounded New Orleans, 59-42, had nine more free-throw attempts and outscored it 23-12 in fast-break points. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this win was the Lakers’ 3-point shooting, an area they have struggled mightily in all season. They shot 48.6% from downtown, and at times, it almost seemed as if they couldn’t miss.
The Lakers move on to the championship to play the high-scoring Indiana Pacers for the first NBA Cup. They improved to a 14-9, which moves them into fourth place in the Western Conference. They have won 11 of their last 15 games.
Anthony Davis: B/B-plus
Davis struggled offensively in the first half, going just 2-of-7 from the field, and he finished the game 5-of-10, giving him only 16 points.
But he had 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in the first half, and he finished with 15 boards and five assists in 31 minutes. As good as he is offensively, it is becoming clear his greatest assets to the Lakers are his rebounding and defense.
Taurean Prince: A
Prince has been very inconsistent with his shooting this season, especially his outside shooting. On Thursday, he heated up late in the second quarter by knocking down three consecutive 3-pointers, which helped L.A. take control.
Overall, he shot 5-of-9 and 5-of-8 from downtown to score 15 points, and he added three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 23 minutes. He has the ability to greatly raise the Lakers’ ceiling when he shoots the way he did on Thursday.
Cam Reddish: B
Reddish is back into the swing of things after missing four games with groin soreness. He went 3-of-6 from the floor and 1-of-2 from downtown to score nine points to go along with five rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes.
D'Angelo Russell: B-minus
Russell produced some hot shooting in the first quarter. In 22 minutes, he shot 6-of-10 and scored 14 points. However, he committed four turnovers while notching just one assist, which is rarely seen from him.
LeBron James: A
James seemed to have more energy than anyone else on the court, and it infused his team with the same type of mojo. He laid low in the first quarter, but he activated himself shortly afterward. He knocked down three straight 3-pointers early in the second period, with two coming from the in-season tournament logo.
James had 21 points in the first half, 18 in the second quarter. When he exited the game midway through the third quarter, he had 30 points on 9-of-12 shooting, eight assists and five rebounds in just 23 minutes. He spent the rest of the game on the bench, which will help him moving forward.
Defensively, the 38-year-old often found himself guarding Zion Williamson. He drew a charging foul on Williamson midway through the first quarter, and later he drew another one on Williamson, as well as one on former teammate Brandon Ingram. While Williamson shot the ball well, he scored just 13 points and managed only two rebounds in 26 minutes.
Rui Hachimura: B
Hachimura had his first strong game in a few weeks, and it should help him feel like he’s getting his groove back after missing five games due to a nasal fracture. He shot 5-of-9 to score 12 points in 21 minutes, and he gave the Lakers the type of production off the bench they will need from him.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B
Vanderbilt got the assignment of guarding Ingram, and with his help, Ingram shot just 4-of-13 and scored only nine points. The Lakers forward grabbed five rebounds and added one assist, one blocked shot and one made basket in 14 minutes.
Clearly, the Lakers missed him when he was out with heel bursitis dating to early in the preseason.
Austin Reaves: A
Reaves made an impact upon entering the game in the first quarter by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. He did a good job of mixing up his shot attempts, as he shot 3-of-6 from 3-point land while also attacking the basket when appropriate.
Overall, he scored 17 points, dished seven assists and obtained five rebounds in 23 minutes.
Jaxson Hayes: B/B-plus
In 17 minutes, Hayes provided L.A. with some resistance at and near the rim, although it also resulted in him committing four fouls. He shot 2-of-3 and got four rebounds, and he even found the time to attempt a rare 3-pointer during garbage time (which he missed).
Max Christie: B
Because this game was such a beat down, Christie stayed on the court for 17 minutes. He shot 3-of-5 and scored six points while adding two rebounds and a steal.
Christian Wood: A-minus
Now that the Lakers are almost completely healthy, Wood has seen his playing time greatly diminish. This was his first game action since Saturday against the Houston Rockets, and although he played just eight minutes during garbage time, he showed good energy and hustle, and not just offensively.
He made two of four shots, but he grabbed six rebounds, three of them on the offensive glass, and he added two assists. Moving forward, L.A. will need him to produce offensively, especially from beyond the arc, if it is to achieve its ultimate goal this summer.
Maxwell Lewis: C-plus
Lewis got into the game for eight minutes in the fourth quarter. He missed a breakaway jam and was called for basket interference when he attempted to tap in his miss while hanging on the rim, and he came up short on another fast-break dunk attempt off a pass from Jalen Hood-Schifino.
But after that, he got a 3-pointer to fall, and he also contributed one rebound and one assist.
Jalen Hood-Schifino: C
In eight minutes, Hood-Schifino had four rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot. However, he missed all three of his shot attempts and scored just one point.
He could still become a good player, but it’s clear he needs a lot of work, especially since he played just one year of college basketball. Perhaps a stint in the G League would do him good.
