LA Lakers lose to Pelicans: NBA February 4th, 2023

In one of the early games from Saturday evening, the New Orleans Pelicans, who entered the day with a huge losing streak, hosted the LA Lakers. The Pelicans won the game in a contest that was fairly close as time expired. They, the Pelicans, put up a single-digit margin of victory in the game, winning by 5 points. The final score was LA 126, and New Orleans 131 as the Pelicans’ losing streak came to an end.

Lakers @ Pelicans Saturday: Brandon Ingram scores 35

With the loss, the Lakers are now 25-29 overall on the season and they have to be disappointed with the loss. The game seemed to be theirs in some ways. They started the day with LeBron James questionable and Anthony Davis probable. Both players improved to “active” over the course of the day and both contributed with big scoring. Los Angeles had a healthy lead going into half-time and seemed to let one slip away.

LA Lakers: Recent Form Alert

• LA Lakers were 19-21 (January 8th, 2023)
• Following Saturday’s game, they are 25-29
• LA has gone 6-8 in their last 14 games

Meanwhile, the Pelicans improved to 27-27 with the 5-point victory. It was their first victory in any game since January 13th, when they beat the Detroit Piston. The top scorer in the game against LA was Brandon Ingram. He had an impressive 35 points in the contest and New Orleans will need more of that in order to stay competitive.

In the bigger picture, this is a team that needs Zion Williamson to return. The Pelicans will also need him to play well and they will need him to stay healthy. New Orleans will host Sacramento on Sunday in a game that just might be tougher than the one they just lost. Presumptively, Sacramento will open as small favorites.

Further reading: NBA Power Rankings