For the first time all season, the New Orleans Pelicans were at full strength Tuesday night.
Zion Williamson returned after missing the previous game with a right ankle sprain and was joined in the starting lineup by Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy and Saddiq Bey.
That lineup was good enough to put a scare into the Lakers midway through the fourth quarter, but not good enough to finish them off.
The Pelicans collapsed late and fell 110-101 at [Crypto.com](http://Crypto.com) Arena.
The Pels (19-44) have now lost nine straight games against LeBron James and the Lakers. The Pelicans' last win against L.A. came on Dec. 31, 2023.
They were close to ending that skid Tuesday, building a 94-86 lead with 7:20 remaining. But the Lakers went on a 14-0 run and outscored the Pels 24-7 the rest of the way.
Williamson led the Pelicans with 24 points. Murphy scored 21 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Murray had 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
But it was the final stretch that did the Pelicans in. The Pels committed 19 turnovers in the game and the Lakers took advantage and scored 29 points off those mistakes.
“We’ve talked about it four straight games,” Borrego said about the turnovers. “Individually, we’ve got to take ownership of it. … This is individual accountability right here. Not a play call. Not a defensive effort. Not a 50-50 ball. We are flat out turning it over. There has to be some personal pride about that. Value every possession.”
The Lakers were just as sloppy with 22 turnovers that led to 21 Pelicans’ points. But the Lakers (37-24) executed when it mattered most.
Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. LeBron James had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to ruin the night of a Pelicans team that had all of its players healthy.
“Good battle,” Borrego said. “First time with this lineup. New rotations. It’s new for everybody right now. We had a shot to win an NBA game in L.A. and we just did not close to our capabilities.”
Borrego had been looking forward to getting his full roster. He decided to play with a smaller lineup, moving center DeAndre Jordan back to the bench after starting the 37-year old veteran the previous five games.
“It’s a good problem to have and this is where we wanted to be all year,” Borrego said before the game. “Our group is trending the right way when we’ve been healthy. Now we’re fully healthy now. Let’s see what we look like. My job is just within the game to manage this and find the right combinations as the game goes. I’ve got a lot of options here. We could play big or small. We’ve got some firepower out there. Now it’s just about finding the right pieces together.”
For 3 ½ quarters, the pieces fit as the Pelicans had the Lakers on the ropes.
The Pelicans are now 2-2 on this six-game road trip. They finish the trip Thursday and Friday when they play back-to-back games against the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.
“We’ve got to get our heads back right and get our spirits back up and get to Sacramento and get a win there,” Borrego said.