Lakers losing streak continues whilst the Pelicans fly high
By Alex Peters
Bad news continued to pour in for Los Angeles Lakers as they suffered their third-straight defeat, 128-111, to rock bottom New Orleans Pelicans. After the untimely passing of Lakers legend Elgin Baylor last week, the reigning champions continue to struggle without star players such as Lebron James and former Pelicans man Anthony Davis.
The Pelicans started to dominate come the middle of the second quarter, with Charles Ingram and Zion Williamson putting on a show which saw them eventually combine for 63 points. Josh Hart, who recently voiced his opinion about Gareth Bale’s loan move at Spurs, also contributed well, totalling up 16 rebounds by the end of the game.
Sourced from Erik Drost https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrost88/49488462157
At half time the Pelicans were up 13 points with the score sitting at 46-59. Most Improved Player Ingram was relishing the opportunity to play against his former team, who traded Ingram for Davis last year. Regardless of their position in the Western Conference table, the Pelicans continued to dominate after half-time, hitting the century mark before the end of the third quarter.
Whereas the Pelicans were having no issues offensively, the same can’t be said about the Lakers. As their grip on a top four seed weakened, they had struggled to hit past the 94-point mark for the last two games. They finally got past this barrier but to no avail, as the Pelicans were already cruising away with the win. Ingram was still hitting buckets well into the fourth quarter, having entered the final quarter already on 33 points.
After losing their previous seven games against the Lakers, Stan Van Gundy and his team will be more than pleased with a win over the third-placed team in the Western Conference. Zion continues to shine as he extended his 20-points a game run to 21 consecutive games; posting up 27 points come the end of the fourth quarter.
The Lakers now potentially face a fourth consecutive loss in a row. They return to the Staples Centre to face-off against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are also suffering from injuries as they’ll be without MVP candidate Joel Embiid. On the other hand, the Pelicans will be looking to cause another upset as they come up against high-flying Denver Nuggets at home on Friday.
