Brandon Ingram returned from a 10-game absence in a game against the team that drafted him to help the Pelicans beat LA in a matchup with important playoff implications for both team.
Even if the Lakers started the game strong and played one of their best stretches in recent memory during the first half, the Pelicans stormed back and Ingram spearheaded the comeback.
After a 41-point third quarter, the Pelicans pushed through for a 116-108 victory, sliding into ninth place in the West with a half-game lead on the Lakers and a 1.5-game lead on the Spurs.
Brandon Ingram put up 9 of his 26 points during that stretch, while rookie Trey Merphy exploded for 16 to put the Pelicans in a great position entering the fourth quarter.
“It shows that we believe in each other,” Ingram said, via ESPN. “We were down and facing adversity in that moment when LeBron was getting everything he wanted. Everybody stayed poised. We executed. Guys made some big-time plays down the stretch on the defensive end.”
The Lakers scored 69 points in the first half and got to the intermission with a 20-point lead. James admitted he was not at his best dealing with some knee soreness.
”I have no idea how I finished the game,” James said, via NBA.com. ”It’s pretty sore right now. I didn’t want to come out.
I understood how big of a game it was for us. … I just lost all explosiveness, so a lot of my game tonight was played on the perimeter after that. … I couldn’t really get into the lane like I would have loved to.”
The Lakers only scored 39 points the rest of the way as the Pelicans cruised past them for a thrilling comeback. James finished with a game-high 39 points, but he only shot 2-of-8 in the fourth quarter for just four points.
Brandon Ingram finished with 26 points in his first appearance in 10 games, Trey Murphy III went for 21 – all of them in the second half – and Herb Jones had 17 points and a career-high six steals.
Jonas Valanciunas had 19 points and 12 rebounds, including a clutch jump-hook with a minute left for the Pelicans. And CJ McCollum finished off his 18-point performance with a floater to make it 115-108 with a half-minute to go.
The Pelicans have seven games remaining, including five on the road. They start a four-game road trip Wednesday against the Trail Blazers in Portland.
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