Ninth Card Battle of the West
Los Angeles Lakers' winning streak, delayed to come, the last game against the Philadelphia 76ers, LeBron James is absent due to injury, Westbrook single core led the team to play the spirit that the Lakers want, although in the end still lost the game, but for the team's self-confidence, it is a great improvement. Westbrook's recent performance has made people see the style of the former triple-double king, and as for LeBron James, he occupies the first place in the scoring list. A short break is really important for a 37-year-old veteran.
In this game, the Los Angeles Lakers will challenge the New Orleans Pelicans. This is the ninth card battle in the West, and if the Lakers don't want to fall out of the playoffs, then this is a win that must be won, after all, the Spurs are staring behind them. Ingram ushered in a comeback, the Lakers did not dare to be careless, after all, the last time they met, in the absence of Ingram, the Pelicans gave the Lakers a 28-point fiasco.
At one point, the Lakers led by 23 points
Gabriel remained in the starting lineup, as did Howard, and Vogel gradually realized that height was one of the Few Advantages the Lakers currently had. At the beginning of the first quarter, James had 11 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block on 4-of-7 shooting, 2-of-4 three-pointers, Westbrook and Munch both scored 7 points, and the team scored 31 points in a single quarter, while the Pelicans only had 23 points. After returning from the second quarter, James completely dominated the game, shooting 5 of 6, 4 of 5 from three-point range, 14 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, and the Lakers scored another 38 points in a single quarter.
In the face of the Lakers' unreasonable offense, the Pelicans seemed a bit overwhelmed, scoring only 26 points in the second quarter. So, at the end of the half, the Los Angeles Lakers led the Pelicans by as many as 20 points 69-49. In the second half, James took 10 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, Anderson also had 6 points and 1 assist, but the Lakers only scored 25 points, and the Pelicans bombed 41 points, of which Murphy on the bench, 5 of 6, 3 of 3 three-pointers, had 16 points and 3 rebounds, Ingram also had 9 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, and in the blink of an eye, the point difference returned to 4 points.
In the final quarter of the game, Murphy's hand was still the same, shooting a three-pointer in a row, and after scoring 5 consecutive points, he helped the Pelicans tie the score. Then the two teams led in a staggered score, but time passed by minute by minute. At the critical moment, Ingram scored 5 consecutive points to help the team take a 6-point lead, Munch hit a key three-pointer, Varan threw a small throw to score, James missed three points, and then the defense mcCollum was blown to interfere with the ball, Munch's three-pointer was directly three-point, and the Lakers completely lost hope.
Wei Shao had no choice but to foul, but there were only 19.5 seconds left. Jones missed the first free throw, and Vogel directly replaced James and Westbrook, announcing that the pitch was conceded. Then Jones hit the second free throw, the Lakers made another mistake, and the Pelicans did not attack again after the steal, but waited for the time to go. In the end, the New Orleans Pelicans successfully reversed the Los Angeles Lakers 116-108 and regained the ninth place in the West.
Popovich strategized
28 points fiasco, 23 points big reversal! James scored 39 points, and the Lakers stopped thinking about the playoffs. The last time they met, a 28-point defeat, this one, it was a 23-point reversal, it can be said that the Lakers met the New Orleans Pelicans, there is really no way, even if they have a play-off place, it is difficult to win, let alone beat the winner between the seventh and eighth in the West. Most importantly, the Lakers' tenth position in the West may not be able to hold, and after losing this game, they are only one win ahead of the Spurs.
The Lakers' next schedule is much more difficult than the Spurs, and a winning gap may be surpassed by the Spurs. I have to say that Popovich is really strategizing, and if he can squeeze the Lakers out of the playoff position at the last moment, it is definitely a beautiful talk. James shot 14-of-27 from the field, 7-of-13 from three-point range, had 39 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, really tried his best, Westbrook was 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on 8-of-15 shooting, Munch also had 23 points and 6 assists, and Howard had 8 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pelicans once again showed their strength, and Murphy on the bench became a surprise, scoring 21 points and 4 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting, all from the second half, and the plus-minus +21 was also the highest on the team. Ingram had 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and was not soft on his old club at key moments, Varan had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists, McCollum also had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, and Jones had 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 steals. Next, the Pelicans have one more game against the Lakers, and if they can continue to win, then there is no suspense in the ninth position in the West.