Lakers ride fourth-quarter surge to comeback win over Pelicans
Mar 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) and forward LeBron James (23) and New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) reach for the ball in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Luka Doncic compiled 27 points and 10 rebounds and LeBron James added 21 points as the Los Angeles Lakers ran their winning streak to three games by rallying for a 110-101 victory over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
Austin Reaves contributed 15 points and eight rebounds while Deandre Ayton added 13 points and eight boards as the Lakers won despite committing 22 turnovers. They improved to 4-2 when giving the ball away at least 22 times this season.
Los Angeles turned a 22-4 fourth-quarter scoring burst into the victory.
Zion Williamson scored 24 points and Trey Murphy III added 21 as the Pelicans dropped consecutive games in the Los Angeles area, following a defeat against the Clippers on Sunday. New Orleans went 0-4 in the season series vs. the Lakers.
Saddiq Bey scored 18 points and Dejounte Murray added 15 for New Orleans, which fell to 2-2 on a six-game road trip. Murray was playing in his fourth game of the season after returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The Pelicans took a 78-76 lead into the fourth quarter and used a 7-0 run to establish a 94-86 advantage with 7:20 remaining following a three-point play from Williamson.
The Lakers responded in emphatic fashion with a 14-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Reaves. Los Angeles took a 100-94 lead with 3:13 remaining after a steal by Marcus Smart, who followed with an assist on a James layup.
The Pelicans pulled within 100-98 on a pair of Williamson baskets before the Lakers turned back-to-back 3-pointers from Smart and Doncic into a 108-98 lead with one minute left.
New Orleans scored 33 points in the first quarter but was held to 18 in the second and trailed 54-51 at halftime. James and Doncic each scored 16 points in the first half for Los Angeles, while Murphy had 11 for the Pelicans.
New Orleans had 18 assists on 20 made field goals before halftime and finished the night with 29 assists on 38 made field goals.
--Field Level Media
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