Luka Doncic and LeBron James both scored 30 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the host New Orleans Pelicans, 111-103, on Tuesday.
Deandre Ayton paired 18 points with 11 rebounds as Los Angeles finished strongly with a 32-17 fourth quarter.
Doncic also had 10 assists while James had eight boards and eight assists for the Lakers, who notched their third straight win.
Trey Murphy III had a career-high 42 points for New Orleans, which frittered away a position of strength to suffer its eighth successive defeat.
Zion Williamson added 15 points and Derik Queen posted 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Doncic had 11 first-quarter points and James had seven as Los Angeles led 29-25 after one.
That advantage increased to 32-25 when Dalton Knecht started the second frame with a trey.
But the Pelicans ramped up their defense, particularly from the perimeter, and largely had the better of the period to edge in front.
Murphy had 11 points for the quarter, which ended with an Yves Missi tip-jam and a tough floater in traffic by Jose Alvarado with three seconds remaining to put New Orleans up 54-51.
Doncic had 16 points at the half but was zero of six from 3-point range. The Lakers were three of 17 from deep in the first 24 minutes.
Murphy exploded for 20 points in the third, combining well with the unselfish Queen, as the Pelicans stretched their lead to 83-74.
James’ steal and windmill dunk slashed the gap to four, before Murphy finished the quarter with a three-point play to make it New Orleans, 86-79, with one to play.
The Lakers reclaimed the lead when they started the fourth frame with a 9-0 spree, James burying two 3-pointers.
Alvarado’s 3-pointer with 3:12 left closed the Pelicans to within four before James hit a pair of reverse layups either side of Doncic’s sealer, a 31-foot bomb to beat the shot clock with two minutes on the clock.
New Orleans had five field goals and seven turnovers in the final period. — Reuters
