Game ID: 22301230
New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Lakers
Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 9:00 PM ET
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 29 38 43 23 133NOP 30 24 17 18 89
LAL vs NOP ScoutingLAL vs NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Reddish missed 3 since 11/22, returns tonight: 20 min (95% of 20)
OUT Vanderbilt missed 5 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 14 since 11/01, out tonight
NEW Christie 14 to 27 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 11/30 · back-to-backOUT Hachimura missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 6 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 15 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 20 min since (95% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/02 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 7 since 11/19, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 20)
OUT Vincent missed 16 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 20 min since (95% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 25 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/05 · 2 days' restOUT Hachimura missed 5 since 11/25, returns tonight: 21 min (79% of 27)
OUT Vincent missed 17 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (68% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 18 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 25 min since (120% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/12 · 4 days' restOUT Vincent missed 19 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 24 min since (119% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 19 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/13 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 20 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
LAL availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 21 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 15 min since (75% of 20)
LAL availability going into 12/18 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 22 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 26 min since (96% of 27)
NOP availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 12 since 11/06, returns tonight: 28 min (85% of 33)
OUT Ryan missed 5 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 13 min since (67% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 17 min since (95% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Marshall 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 27 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 6 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 28 min since (85% of 33)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 13 min since (67% of 20)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Daniels 22 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/02 · back-to-backOUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 7 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/04 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 3 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 8 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/07 · 2 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 4 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 9 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 34 min since (103% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 22 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 12/11 · 3 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 5 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 10 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 32 min since (97% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 30 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 6 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 11 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 7 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 12 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 8 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 13 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 32 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Davis at 26 and James at 22 a game. Without Vincent (18 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 22 and Ingram at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Nance Jr. (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the arc, New Orleans at 35 percent from three to the Lakers' 31. Call it New Orleans 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/29 @ DET 133-107 — LAL notes
LAL won 133-107. LAL shot 51% (45 of 88) to DET's 41%, 12 of 34 from three, and went to the line 38 times to DET's 14 — 31 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 49-39 for them. Russell led with 35 (13 of 17, 5 of 7 from three); Davis added 28, James 25. The hinge was Q1, 38-24: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 33. Russell was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
11/30 @ OKC 110-133 — LAL notes
LAL lost 110-133. LAL shot 44% (36 of 81) to OKC's 53%, 11 of 33 from three, and went to the line 32 times to OKC's 22 — 27 points from the stripe to their 19. LAL turned it over 13 times to OKC's 7, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. Davis led with 31 (11 of 18, 9 of 10 at the line); James added 21, Russell 16. Q1 was theirs, 37-30, but the other 3 periods went 103-73 against them. They led by as many as 14. Reaves's -23 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/02 vs HOU 107-97 — LAL notes
LAL won 107-97. LAL shot 45% (40 of 89) to HOU's 40%, 8 of 27 from three, and went to the line 27 times to HOU's 18 — 19 points from the stripe to their 14. LAL turned it over 9 times to HOU's 16. Davis led with 27 (10 of 22, 7 of 9 at the line); Reaves added 18, James 16. The hinge was Q2, 35-14: LAL came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 16, and the lead reached 19. Christie was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/05 vs PHX 106-103 — LAL notes
LAL won 106-103. LAL shot 37% (38 of 102) to PHX's 49%, 9 of 30 from three. LAL turned it over 9 times to PHX's 20. James led with 31 (12 of 25, 2 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Davis added 27, Reaves 20. The hinge was Q1, 33-23: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Reaves was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/07 vs NOP 133-89 — LAL notes
LAL won 133-89. LAL shot 55% (47 of 86) to NOP's 36%, 17 of 35 from three, and went to the line 29 times to NOP's 20 — 22 points from the stripe to their 14. The glass went 59-42 for them. James led with 30 (9 of 12, 4 of 4 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Reaves added 17, Davis 16. The hinge was Q3, 43-17: a lead of 13 became 39, and the lead reached 44. James was the night's best plus/minus at +36.
12/12 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 36 and Irving at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Williams (3 straight), Green (4 straight), Kleber (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 30 free throws a game; Davis at 26 and James at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Vincent (19 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 30 free throws a game to Dallas's 23 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-3 a night and Dallas minus-2. Call it Dallas 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/13 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 17 and Johnson at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 26 a game. Without Vincent (20 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 32 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-4. Call it the Lakers 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/15 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Johnson at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 28 a game. Without Vincent (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-3 a night and San Antonio minus-6 and the arc, the Lakers at 40 percent from three to San Antonio's 32. Call it the Lakers 116, San Antonio 109.
12/18 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 29 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Vincent (22 straight). 2 days' rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 129, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 113 a night to New York's 129. Call it the Lakers 120, New York 116, New York keeping it close.
11/29 vs PHI 124-114 — NOP notes
NOP won 124-114. NOP shot 54% (42 of 78) to PHI's 52%, 10 of 30 from three, and went to the line 34 times to PHI's 18 — 30 points from the stripe to their 16. The glass went 40-30 for them. Williamson led with 33 (11 of 12, 11 of 12 at the line); McCollum added 20, Valančiūnas 19. The hinge was Q1, 39-24: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 29. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/01 vs SAS 121-106 — NOP notes
NOP won 121-106. NOP shot 49% (42 of 85) to SAS's 46%, 10 of 31 from three, and went to the line 29 times to SAS's 17 — 27 points from the stripe to their 14. NOP turned it over 11 times to SAS's 19. Valančiūnas led with 24 (9 of 12, 6 of 7 at the line); McCollum added 19, Murphy III 18. The hinge was Q4, 32-25: a lead of 8 became 15. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/02 @ CHI 118-124 — NOP notes
NOP lost 118-124. NOP shot 50% (41 of 82) to CHI's 55%, 8 of 25 from three, and went to the line 35 times to CHI's 15 — 28 points from the stripe to their 11. Williamson led with 27 (10 of 15, 7 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 23, Jones 17. Q2 was theirs, 32-21, turning a 3-point deficit into a 8-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 103-86 against them. They led by as many as 10. Zeller's -17 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/04 @ SAC 127-117 — NOP notes
NOP won 127-117. NOP shot 54% (47 of 87) to SAC's 45%, 14 of 31 from three, and got to the line 23 times to SAC's 33. Ingram led with 30 (10 of 20, 3 of 6 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Jones added 23, Valančiūnas 18. The hinge was Q2, 34-25: NOP came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 8, and the lead reached 15. Murphy III was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/07 @ LAL 89-133 — NOP notes
NOP lost 89-133. NOP took 9 more shots (95 to 86), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 36% to LAL's 55%, 7 of 31 from three, and got to the line 20 times to LAL's 29. The glass went 42-59 against them. Murphy III led with 14 (5 of 13, 2 of 7 from three); Williamson added 13, Jones 10. Q1 was theirs, 30-29, but the other 3 periods went 104-59 against them. McCollum's -38 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/11 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 28 free throws a game; Williamson at 19 and Ingram at 18 a game. Without Nance Jr. (5 straight). 3 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 101, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Towns at 22 and Gobert at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without McDaniels (8 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 101 a night to New Orleans's 119 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-9 a night and New Orleans minus-0. Call it Minnesota 113, New Orleans 110, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/13 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 134, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kuzma at 21 and Poole at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 20 and Ingram at 19 a game. Without Nance Jr. (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 117 a night to Washington's 134 and the glass, where New Orleans has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-9. Call it New Orleans 121, Washington 116.
12/15 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Rozier at 26 and Hayward at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Ball (7 straight), Maledon (6 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 30 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 22 a game. Without Nance Jr. (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been minus-0 a night and Charlotte minus-12 and the line, where New Orleans takes 30 free throws a game to Charlotte's 17. Call it Charlotte 117, New Orleans 116, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/17 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Johnson at 20 and Vassell at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 29 free throws a game; Ingram at 21 and Williamson at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Nance Jr. (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 29 free throws a game to San Antonio's 19 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-5. Call it New Orleans 115, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CR C. Reddish
CW C. Wood
DR D. Russell
JH J. Hayes
JH J. Hood-Schifino
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
MC M. Christie
ML M. Lewis
RH R. Hachimura
TP T. Prince
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
JV J. Valančiūnas
KL K. Lewis Jr.
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
LAL/NOP the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
LeBron James scores 30 points, Lakers rout Pelicans 133-89 to reach tournament final
LAS VEGAS -- — LeBron James scored 30 points in less than three quarters and the Los Angeles Lakers steamrolled the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89 on Thursday night to reach the championship game in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
The Lakers will play the surprising Indiana Pacers on Saturday night for the inaugural NBA Cup. Indiana advanced with a 128-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the other semifinal. Unlike the other tournament games, the championship game will not count in the regular-season standings.
Los Angeles' run to the title game, James said, is indicative of the team's potential. He was particularly pleased with the defense, which held New Orleans to 35.8% shooting, and the Lakers also had a 59-42 rebounding advantage.
“I think we are starting to get a feel for what we need to become a team for us to win basketball games, to be consistent,” James said. “Defensively, we're really, really starting to tap into that like, OK, we've got to defend every single night. When we defend, we give ourselves a chance to win every night.”
Austin Reaves scored 17 points for Los Angeles, Anthony Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Taurean Prince finished with 15 points.
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 14 points. Zion Williamson had 13 points and Herbert Jones 10.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said he credited his team in the locker room with making the semifinals, "but tonight was a total letdown. We’re all disappointed in our competitive spirit against the Lakers. You’ve got to give them credit. They came out and dominated. ... But tonight we took a step in the wrong direction."
New Orleans led 30-29 after the first quarter, but James opened the second scoring the Lakers' first 11 points, and suddenly a one-point deficit was a 40-33 lead.
During that stretch, James made three 3-pointers in a row . The last two came from the league and tournament logo, firing up the pro-Lakers crowd. The nearly 39-year-old superstar even took three charges.
“Any time your best player sacrifices his body, takes three charges in the first half, especially with Zion coming down the paint, it sets a tone,” Reaves said. “That shows to everybody else how locked in he is to win this, and how locked in he is every game.”
By halftime, James had 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He went to the bench midway through the third quarter, which should give him plenty of energy for the championship against a Pacers team like that likes to push, well, pace.
“They are young,” Davis said. “They are scrappy. They get out and run, and they play the right way. So it’s going to be a test for our defense for sure.”
Los Angeles has won three consecutive games and four of its past five. Coach Darvin Ham said the focus, aggressiveness and unselfishness during this recent span make the Lakers “damn near unstoppable.”
“It’s a beautiful thing to see this early,” Ham said. “I think the intensity that this tournament brings reveals that because it’s not just a regular-season game. It doesn’t feel like that. The stakes are way higher and you see people in those delicate moments what they are truly made of, at least the beginning stages.”
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Host Minnesota on Monday night.
Lakers: Face Indiana on Saturday night in Las Vegas in the title game.