Lakers Keep Rolling as Luka and Reaves Torch the Pelicans
If you missed last night’s game, let me catch you up, because it was one of those performances where the Lakers made a loud statement — and they did it without LeBron James. Yes, you heard that right. No LeBron, but somehow no problem at all. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves simply took over, carrying the Lakers to a 133–121 win over the injury-hit New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena.
What stood out instantly was the confidence and rhythm the Lakers played with from the opening tip. It was as if the message had been sent early: even with their 40-year-old superstar resting his right foot, this team is not slowing down. Luka was brilliant again, dropping 34 points, pulling down 12 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists. Reaves matched his energy perfectly, putting up 33 points and eight assists of his own. Their chemistry has been talked about a lot lately, and Luka even joked afterward that he wasn’t sure what makes the pairing work — aside from them both being really good basketball players.
Also Read:With this win, the Lakers stretch their record to 15–4 and extend their winning streak to seven games. And honestly, the game felt almost out of reach for New Orleans early on. The Lakers poured in 46 points in the first quarter — their highest-scoring frame of the season — and hit halftime with 77 points, tying their best half so far. The Pelicans, on the other hand, were missing multiple key players, including Zion Williamson, who was sitting due to a hamstring issue. That left them trying to keep up with a team that’s currently firing on all cylinders.
There’s still a lot of attention on LeBron’s status, though. He has played only four games this season after missing the first 14 with sciatica, and now the team is being extra cautious with foot injury management. Coach JJ Redick made it clear that the focus is on building LeBron up gradually, especially with all the back-to-backs on the schedule. And sure, the league’s 65-game minimum for awards is looming in the background for him, but Redick said those kinds of personal accolades don’t come up in their conversations.
Another big contributor was Deandre Ayton, who finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds before limping off late in the fourth after tweaking his knee. Thankfully, he said afterward that he’s fine and expects to play in the next game — which happens to be against his former team, the Phoenix Suns.
So in the end, it was one of those nights where everything clicked for the Lakers, even with key bodies missing. Luka was dominant, Reaves was poised, and the team played with purpose from start to finish. If they can maintain this level while gradually reintegrating LeBron, the rest of the league may have a serious problem on its hands.
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