The winning team was led by 41-year-old LeBron James (eight rebounds, eight assists) and Luka Dončić (10 assists) with 30 points each. It was the Lakers’ fourth win in the last five games and the Pelicans’ eighth straight loss.
Despite the loss, the game was marked by Trey Murphy, who played the game of his life for the Pelicans, scoring a career high 41 points. He scored as many as 20 points in the third quarter. His great performance, along with Zion Williamson’s 15 points and rookie Derrick Queen’s 10 points and 13 rebounds, gave New Orleans a nine-point lead at the end of the third quarter (83:74).
Entering the last quarter brought a twist. The Lakers opened the period with an 18:4 streak, fueled by three-pointers from James and Dalton Knecht and baskets from Deandre Ayton, who finished the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds. With that rush, Los Angeles took the lead, increasing it to 97:90, and the shocked Pelicans were unable to close to less than four points behind until the end, reports Index.hr.
After the game, Dončić’s interception with the expiration of time for the Lakers attack two minutes before the end of the game became viral. The Slovenian received the ball from James, who blocked him about 9 meters from the right sideline. In the small space between his teammates and the edge of the court, with the sound of the siren, Dončić scored a long-range shot and delighted LeBron, his teammates and the commentator who exclaimed: “That’s Luka Magic, god.”
That’s Luka magic#VoteLakers: https://t.co/fxAan7KSM3 pic.twitter.com/lADo8vIbZw
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 7, 2026
The return of Herb Jones after a seven-game layoff with a wrist injury didn’t help the Pelicans either, as he struggled to shoot, missing eight of nine attempts. The whole team had problems with accuracy, missing even 30 out of 40 three-pointers and five out of 18 free throws, four of which were missed by Williamson. On the other hand, the Lakers were very efficient with 50.6% shooting from the field.
(Vijesti.ba)
