Pelicans player ends up on the wrong side of a viral Luka Doncic highlight vs Lakers

After a brief stretch in which the New Orleans Pelicans won three of four games, they've returned to their tanking ways with a 115-136 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Getting back to adding to the loss column is crucial for the Pelicans, as they're currently 1.5 games ahead of the Utah Jazz for the third-worst record in the league and two games ahead of the Charlotte Hornets for the 29th spot.

Despite the landslide defeat, Zion Williamson put up a fantastic individual performance. He finished with 37 points, four rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block on a ridiculous 17-23 shooting. Even more impressive was the fact that he managed to garner that statline in just 26 minutes. Not to mention that New Orleans was actually a +12 when he was on the floor in a game they ultimately lost by 21.

Trey Murphy III had a decent showing too. He put up 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 6-12 shooting. As the new second option behind Zion with Brandon Ingram gone, Murphy III's going to have to find ways to remain aggressive even when Williamson is cooking. This will be an interesting development to keep an eye on for the remainder of the season. There's no reason that TMIII should ever finish with only 12 shot attempts, especially not in a horrid loss like this one.

Luka Doncic returns to form against the New Orleans Pelicans

Since the Dallas Mavericks pulled the rug out from under him and traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic has struggled with his new team individually, even though LA has been on a torrid run since acquiring the 26-year-old perennial MVP candidate. In his first eight games with the Lakers, he averaged just 22.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists while shooting a paltry 39 percent from the field and 27 percent from deep.

Thankfully, he got just what the doctor ordered for him to return to form: a matchup against the Pelicans' defense this season. Against New Orleans, Doncic bounced back in a big way, finishing with 30 points, eight rebounds, and 15 assists on a sterling 47 percent shooting, including 6-13 from 3-point land.

It wasn't enough that he used the Pelicans' struggles to rebound back to All-NBA form. He also had to embarrass Jordan Hawkins along the way with an insane highlight.

Thankfully, it wasn't all bad for New Orleans. This loss will likely help them come the 2025 NBA Draft lottery, and Zion Williamson got to put on a monster performance in front of a massive mainstream audience tuning in to watch Luka and LeBron James. He also clipped a pretty insane highlight of his own, dunking all over former Pelican, Trey Jamison III.