New Orleans Pelicans: Player Grades in 118-109 Loss to the Lakers

Shooting Guards

Holiday was given the unenviable task of trying to guard LeBron one-on-one. This strategy proved to be unsuccessful, as Holiday was not only battling LeBron, but the laws of physics as well. James bullied Holiday in the lane and got wherever he wanted. Holiday was a game defender and did force LeBron into some tough fadeaways late in the game, but ultimately James was just too much. Not surprisingly, guarding LeBron took a lot out of Holiday and it affected his offensive game. He ended with just 11 points on 5-19 shooting, including 1-5 from behind the arc. Holiday did add nine assists and five rebounds, but also coughed up four turnovers. His defense against LeBron was admirable, but Alvin Gentry needs to find a new strategy if he plans on ever beating James and the Lakers.

Hart struggled in his 22 minutes of play, taking just four shots and hitting one of them for three points. The bench generally played well against the Lakers and the Pelicans were able to chip away when LeBron was on the bench, but it wasn’t enough. Hart missed a few wide open 3-pointers that would have been game-changers at the time. He seemed tight against his former team and was never able to get in a rhythm.

This was a game that the Pelicans needed someone other than Zion and Brandon Ingram to step up, but Redick was not that guy. The Lakers swarmed Redick every time he touched the ball and were clearly trying to stop him from getting any daylight to get off a shot. Redick looked somewhat rattled by the pressure from the larger Lakers’ defenders, with two turnovers in just 20 minutes of play. He did add five rebounds and four assists, but this was a night when the New Orleans Pelicans needed a calming veteran presence and Redick wasn’t it.