That game could’ve been a lot easier. The Lakers were up by as much as 22 against the Pelicans, but LA allowed New Orleans to go on a 12-0 run from the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth.
This forced head coach JJ Redick to call a timeout and bring his starters back onto the floor. It would’ve been nice if the key players could’ve gotten rest since LA has another game on Saturday, but the reserves couldn’t take care of business. However, they did earn the victory and that’s the most important thing for now.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Luka Dončić
40 minutes, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 6-16 FG, 3-8 3PT, 9-13 FT, +30
The Lakers probably don’t win without Luka. The Pelicans were focused on blitzing him and getting the ball out of his hands. Dončić read the game well, distributed the ball effectively, and trusted his teammates to score. He ended the game with 12 assists and eventually found his shot as time progressed.
The only negative was his poor free-throw shooting. Minus that, though, the Lakers are lucky to have Luka.
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Austin Reaves
39 minutes, 31 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 9-16 FG, 2-6 3PT, 11-13 FT, +16
Reaves played great against the Pelicans. He was able to get to the paint with ease, score inside and hit his free throws. In the fourth quarter, when the game got wacky, he stepped up, scoring 12 points to secure the result for Los Angeles.
Deandre Ayton
36 minutes, 20 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, 10-11 FG, +35
Ayton had his best game of the season against the Pelicans. He destroyed them inside, going 10-11 from the field and was a monster on the glass.
There really is not much more one can ask of Ayton, he was superb in this win.
Rui Hachimura
35 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 6-10 FG, 2-5 3PT, +30
Hachimura is becoming one of the most dependable players on this roster. At this point, you can bank on him shooting 50% from the field and around 40% from 3-point range every night. He did even better than that in New Orleans and even grabbed a handful of rebounds.
Marcus Smart
34 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 6-15 FG, 1-10 3PT, +7
Smart was horrendous offensively. He kept on shooting and never found a groove. He was still a positive on defense, but he has to stop thinking these looks are the best shots the Lakers can find on the floor.
Jake LaRavia
22 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-4 FG, +4
LaRavia has been struggling on offense for a while now, just like the entire Lakers bench has. He’s also way too slow on defense. Jose Alvarado was running circles around him, and I shudder to think what’s going to happen against even better perimeter players as the season progresses.
LaRavia did have some nice fastbreak points, but he can’t be this bad if he’s playing 20-plus minutes.
Dalton Knecht
10 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 fouls, 2-5 FG, 1-3 3PT, -12
Knecht is finding his shot again, which is good, but he’s still not being effective in other ways. He has to be a better rebiudner and defender if he wants to stay in the rotation.
Jaxson Hayes
12 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1-3 FG, -21
Friday was a cardio workout for Hayes. He didn’t do much during his 12 minutes on the floor. Which is a shame since, on paper, he had a size advantage over the Pelicans’ bigs.
Jarred Vanderbilt
11 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, -19
Add Vando to the list of Lakers reserves who played poorly. He couldn’t score, minus his 3-pointer, and wasn’t very effective defensively except for a pair of steals. He might just remain a great defender who can only play two shifts at maximum due to his limited offense
Redick won his challenges and called a good timeout in the fourth when things started to get out of control. While it would’ve been ideal to rest his starters, he left them in for the end of the game, which secured the result.
Thanks to his coaching, the Lakers never fully lost control of this game.
Friday’s DNPs: Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Adou Thiero
***Friday’s inactives:***LeBron James, Gabe Vincent
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.