By Eric Jay Santos
On Tuesday, the New Orleans Pelicans took a 136-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The two teams are on opposite ends of the Western Conference standings, with the Lakers in second place and the Pelicans in near-last.
Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 37 points, six assists, and four rebounds over 26 minutes. Williamson went 17-for-23 in field goals made. Meanwhile, Trey Murphy III contributed 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
LeBron James registered 34 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the Lakers. During the match, James became the first NBA player to score over 50,000 career points between the regular season and playoffs. Luka Doncic totaled 30 points and 15 assists in Los Angeles’ seventh-straight win.
The Lakers established a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter, a deficit that New Orleans struggled to shave throughout the rest of the game. Despite a lackluster team performance, Williamson came away with a series of highlights throughout the match. During the third quarter, the two-time All-Star made an explosive State of Liberty style dunk over Trey Jemison.
New Orleans now holds a 17-45 season record. They are 5-5 in their last ten games.