New Orleans Pelicans: Player Grades in 122-114 Loss to Lakers

The New Orleans Pelicans kept it close but ultimately couldn’t stop the brilliance of LeBron, as the Lakers swept the season series.

If the Lakers didn’t have LeBron James, then they would probably never beat the New Orleans Pelicans.

The problem is that they do.

LeBron was brilliant again, carving up the Pelicans for a 36 point, 13 assist, 12 rebound triple-double.

The Pelicans tried just about everything but had no answer for the King, who seemed to always get a bucket or make a perfect pass exactly when the Lakers needed it.

The New Orleans Pelicans threw everyone from Jrue Holiday to Josh Hart on James but it didn’t matter, as the Lakers were able to pull away late, even without power forward Anthony Davis.

The New Orleans Pelicans got big games from Zion Williamson and Lonzo Ball, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the size and veteran savvy of the Lakers, who seem to have the number of the young Pelicans.

Here are the player grades for another tough loss to Los Angeles.

Point Guards

Ball pushed the pace against the Lakers and was able to consistently get out in transition for easy buckets, which was a big part of the New Orleans Pelicans’ success.

They clearly wanted to get early offense as often as possible to keep the Lakers from getting their stifling half court defense set.

Ball played fast and aggressive, ending the game with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, including this beautiful lob to Zion.

Ball’s only problem was once again his shooting.

He missed several wide-open 3-point shots and ended the night just 1 of 7 from behind the arc. With J.J. Redick sidelined with a hamstring injury, the New Orleans Pelicans needed Ball to hit a few of those shots.

Ball flashed the type of leadership and passing that can carry the team down the stretch, but he needs to hit shots and last night he did not.