LOS ANGELES — The Lakers bounced back against the short-handed Pelicans behind second-half surge performances from Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves as Los Angeles' big three combined for 92 points and 21 assists in their 124-108 win over New Orleans on Friday.
The Lakers (47-30) win and a Denver loss pushed L.A. ahead of the Nuggets (47-31) for third in the West with five games left in the regular season. L.A. improved to 30-10 at Crypto.com Arena, the third most wins at home this season in the NBA, trailing only Cleveland and Oklahoma City.
The second-half rally was orchestrated by a masterful backcourt duo outing as Dončić and Reaves each poured in 14 points in the third, scoring 28 of L.A.'s 31 points in the quarter. The momentum carried over to the fourth quarter for L.A. as New Orleans couldn't overcome missing their top six players, sweeping the Pelicans in a three-game season series.
Reaves had the game's highest plus/minus (+17) behind efficient shooting splits, hitting eight of 13 from the field and six 3-pointers, making it 15 threes he's connected on in his last two games for a Lakers franchise record from deep over a two-game span.
"It's special," Reaves said on the feat. "LeBron throws me good passes. Luka throws me good passes, and I just shoot it. I shoot it with confidence."
Reaves finished with 30 points (seven assists) in 35 minutes of action, marking his fourth 30-point game in the last five, adding more fuel to his best third option around the league debate with multiple showtime sequences, one that ended with a lob to a certain 40-year-old.
pic.twitter.com/PS85G5n9mX https://t.co/f497p4gBId
— Carlos Yakimowich (@CarlosYakJr) April 5, 2025
Dončić shook off a three-for-12 shooting display in the first half with a 22-point (7-of-9 shooting) second half, scoring a game-high 35 points (six assists, six rebounds). He bounces back from a zero-for-six 3-point night in Thursday's loss to Golden State for his 11th 30-point game in a Lakers uniform.
A thing to monitor moving forward was James injuring his right thumb in the first half after getting it caught and extended on the rim after a block attempt. He stayed in the game after getting a thumb wrap on his hand, which didn't stop him from having an impactful night with 27 points (eight assists) in 33 minutes.
The Lakers will see the NBA's best next in a two-game series in Oklahoma City, starting on Sunday and concluding on Tuesday. Oklahoma has only lost four games since the beginning of February and has shown why they are a top-two team in the association behind MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
L.A. will play four of the last five games of the season on the road:
