Austin Reaves exploded for 31 points while Luka Doncic added 24 points and 12 assists, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on Friday. Deandre Ayton dominated inside with 20 points and 16 rebounds, helping Los Angeles remain perfect at 2-0 in NBA Cup play.
The Lakers jumped to a 65-52 halftime lead, fueled by an alley-oop dunk from Ayton set up by Doncic. Reaves, Ayton, and Doncic combined for an 11-0 run in the third quarter, pushing the Lakers’ advantage to 88-66 and setting the tone for the rest of the game.
New Orleans briefly cut the lead to eight points when Jose Alvarado and Saddiq Bey hit back-to-back threes to make it 96-88, but Reaves and Doncic responded with clutch buckets and free throws to maintain Los Angeles’ control. Reaves finished 11 of 13 from the charity stripe and added a 13-foot pullup jumper in the closing minutes.
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 35 points, marking his second 34-plus-point performance in four games. Jeremiah Fears contributed 19 points and eight steals, while Herb Jones had 13 points and Derik Queen grabbed 10 rebounds. Despite their efforts, New Orleans dropped its fourth straight game and fell to 0-2 in the NBA Cup.
Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart added 14 and 13 points, respectively, as the Lakers outrebounded the Pelicans 45-43 and capitalized on turnovers. Los Angeles improved to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in NBA Cup play, remaining atop West Group B.
Both teams were without key stars: LeBron James remains sidelined with sciatica, while Zion Williamson continues to recover from a left hamstring strain. Nevertheless, the Lakers’ balanced scoring and efficient execution were more than enough to overcome the depleted Pelicans squad.
Los Angeles heads to Milwaukee on Saturday looking to extend its strong start, while New Orleans hosts Golden State on Sunday, aiming to snap their current losing streak.
