The NBA regular season continued, and the West ushered in a very critical play-off card battle, the Lakers challenged the Pelicans on the road, before this game, the two teams ranked 9th and 10th in the West, and the Lakers only led the Pelicans by 0.5 wins. If the Pelicans can win this game, then they will beat the Lakers twice this season, and the team will not only rise to the 9th place in the West, but they also have a win advantage over the Lakers. If the Lakers win this battle, then the team will further widen the gap between them and the Pelicans and stabilize their 9th place in the West. With little left in the regular season, this game is crucial for these two teams, and they want to make it to the play-offs, which they have to win.
In the first quarter of this game, the Lakers performed well, James was full of firepower, he had 11 points and 3 rebounds in 4 of 7 shots in a single quarter, Westbrook and Munch teamed up to contribute 14 points, the Lakers with the help of these two players, they took an 8-point lead in the first quarter, taking the initiative in the game, and the overall momentum of the team was to suppress the Pelicans. In the second quarter of the game, the Lakers played better and better in the game, they scored 38 points in a single quarter, James contributed 14 points, at the end of the half, the Lakers have a 20-point lead, at most the team was 23 points ahead of the Pelicans, the advantage can be said to be very obvious.
However, the Lakers still could not hold their lead in the game, in the third quarter of the game, the Lakers offense stagnated, they did not shoot consecutive shots, and the Pelicans seized the opportunity, they were led by players such as CJ, Jones and Ingram, they responded with a wave of 41-25 offense in the third quarter, the single quarter net victory over the Lakers by 16 points, the third quarter ended, the Pelicans narrowed the score gap to 4 points.
Heading into the final quarter, the Pelicans were fully dominant, blasting a 21-11 offense in a short period of time to take a six-point lead. The Lakers then closed the gap to three points with Munch's three-pointer. Then the Pelicans' Varan completed the attack under the basket, James did not have three points, then James appeared to interfere with the ball, the Pelicans extended the lead to 7 points, and the game also lost suspense. In the end, the Lakers lost to the Pelicans 108-116 on the road, suffering a 23-point reversal.
The course of the game was very exciting, and the Lakers were in the lead for most of the time, 23 points ahead of the Pelicans at most, and the advantage was very obvious. However, in the second half, the Lakers began to pull their crotches, and the Pelicans ushered in a counterattack, with the help of multiple players, the Pelicans in the final moments of the game, they successfully overtook the score. It can be said that the Lakers played well in the first half of this game, and the Pelicans ushered in an outbreak in the second half.
Comparatively speaking, the Pelicans performed better in the second half than the Lakers in the first half, and the team trailed by 23 points before they finally completed the reversal at home and won this crucial game. After this campaign, the Pelicans ranked 9th in the West, while the Lakers once again slipped to 10th in the West, and at this stage, the Pelicans are ahead of the Lakers in terms of wins, and the Lakers' play-off seat is also in jeopardy.
James shot 14 of 27 in this game, three-pointers 13 shots 7 mid-range slashed 39 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, Wei Shao also cut 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Munch contributed 23 points and 6 assists, but it was still difficult to help the team win, the Lakers performed well in the first half of this campaign, but the crotch in the second half, which also became the main reason why the team lost this key game.