On April 2, Beijing time, the NBA regular season ushered in a focus showdown, the Lakers at home to meet the Pelicans, James and thick eyebrows at the same time returned, the first quarter of the two teams tightly bit the score, the Lakers fell behind 25-30.
For the Lakers, this is a life-and-death battle, the Lakers previously ranked 11th in the West, two wins behind the 9th-place Pelicans, if this game can not beat the Pelicans, the playoff situation will be even worse. In the first two meetings of the season, the Lakers lost to their opponents, one of which was a 28-point defeat and one of which suffered a big reversal from the opponent.
James and Thick Brow returned at the same time, and the Lakers welcomed back the strongest lineup, their starting lineups are: James, Davis, Howard, Bradley, Westbrook. The Pelicans are also the strongest players: Ingram, Hayes, Valanciunas, Jones, McCollum. As soon as the first quarter came up, Thick Brow hit the first goal after the comeback, Ingram scored in the face of the old club's turnaround jumper, McCollum hit a three-pointer, James countered with a two-handed dunk, and the Lakers rebounded 6-5. Hayes angrily pushed James to eat a first-degree malicious foul, but James lost two free throws, the two teams scored alternately, Howard hit two free throws, and the Lakers led 12-10.
The timeout came back, James scored from the basket, Varan scored from the basket, McCollum scored five straight points to play a wave of 7-0 to stop the Lakers, and McCollum's personal score quickly went into double figures. James returned the three-pointer after a timeout, McCollum hit another three-pointer, and the two teams alternated points to rise. Both teams adjusted their lineups late in the quarter, with Jones hitting both free throws to give the Pelicans a 26-25 lead.
Ingram hit a three-pointer and ended the first quarter with the Lakers trailing 25-30. CJ McCollum scored 14 points on 4-of-4 outside the first quarter, and James' feel was also very good, scoring 9 points on 4-of-5, with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.