An overtime-forcing three courtesy of Matt Ryan proved the catalyst for a thrilling 120-117 Lakers win over the Pelicans in Los Angeles after New Orleans erased a 16-point, second-half deficit to come within inches of a big victory.
Lonnie Walker IV dropped a season-high 28 points on 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-9 from three as Los Angeles held on by the skin of their teeth to claim back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Anthony Davis finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and four blocks whilst Troy Brown Jr. added his own 15-point, 10-rebound double-double.
LeBron James struggled on the night finishing with 20 points on 9-of-23 from the field and 0-of-7 from three as well as 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Russell Westbrook continued warming to his off-the-bench role putting up 13 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in 25 minutes whilst Matt Ryan had 11 points on 4-of-11 from the field in his 18 minutes off the bench.
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Much of the first-half belonged to the Pelicans who leapt out to a seven-point, second-quarter lead before the Lakers wrestled back momentum heading into halftime thanks to a 12-0 run to end the half.
Los Angeles’ run continued into the start of the third-period with their lead ballooning out 16 before the Pelicans crafted a 33-16 run of their own to retake the lead.
The Lakers managed multiple fourth-quarter blows, however, New Orleans’ resolve was on full display with Willie Green’s men refusing to surrender.
A long rebound off a James miss saw Larry Nance Jr. streak downcourt to give the Pelicans a three-point advantage with 7.8 seconds left.
Walker IV missed a potential game-tying three-point attempt with under three seconds remaining on the game-clock forcing the home team to foul rookie Dyson Daniels who went 0-of-2 from the stripe to give Los Angeles a slim chance at forcing overtime.
Ryan corralled a crosscourt Austin Reaves dime to sink a contested three in the corner as time expired.
The extra period belonged to the Lakers who secured their second win in-a-row after starting the season 0-5.
For New Orleans, Zion Williamson finished with 27 points, five rebounds and seven assists whilst C.J. McCollum added 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on 10-of-27 from the field.
Jose Alvarado had 15 points and four assists on 6-of-8 from the field off the bench and finished a game-high plus-10 whilst Larry Nance Jr. finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.
The Pelicans are now 4-3 on the year and will hope to welcome Brandon Ingram back into the lineup once they return to New Orleans after the star forward picked up a concussion in their loss to Utah.
Their next game comes against the Warriors in New Orleans on Friday whilst the Lakers will host the Jazz on the same day.
