Game ID: 22300446
Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Pelicans
Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 42 32 30 25 129LAL 33 24 32 20 109
LAL @ NOP ScoutingLAL @ 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.
NOP availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 10 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 15 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 32 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 11 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 16 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 12 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 17 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 13 since 11/29, returns tonight: 25 min (125% of 20)
OUT Hawkins missed 2 since 12/23, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 18 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/31 · 2 days' restOUT Hawkins missed 3 since 12/23, returns tonight: 8 min (48% of 17)
OUT Ryan missed 19 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 25 min since (125% of 20)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 20 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 24 min since (120% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 8 min since (48% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Murphy III missed 2 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 21 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 23 min since (113% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 17 min since (102% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Murphy III missed 3 since 12/31, returns tonight: 17 min (55% of 30)
OUT Ryan missed 22 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 23 min since (113% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 12 min since (74% of 17)
NOP availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 23 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Murphy III back 1/05 after 3, 17 min since (55% of 30)
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/28 after 13, 22 min since (109% of 20)
BACK Hawkins back 12/31 after 3, 11 min since (65% of 17)
LAL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restBACK Vincent back 12/20 after 23, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 29 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Christie missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 30 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/28 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 3 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 23 min (134% of 17)
OUT Christie missed 3 since 12/21, returns tonight: 24 min (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 28 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 4 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 23 min since (134% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 24 min since (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 28 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/31 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 5 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 18 min since (105% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 24 min since (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 26 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 1/03 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 6 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 21 min since (118% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 27 min since (190% of 14)
LAL availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Russell missed 2 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 7 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 22 min since (124% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 27 min since (194% of 14)
LAL availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Russell missed 3 since 12/31, returns tonight: 31 min (94% of 33)
OUT Hachimura missed 2 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 8 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 20 min since (118% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 26 min since (181% of 14)
LAL availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 3 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 9 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Hayes missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Russell back 1/07 after 3, 31 min since (94% of 33)
NEW Prince 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Christie 14 to 23 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 21 a game. Without Hawkins (3 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 31 and James at 25 a game. Without Vincent (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 36 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 109 a night to the Lakers' 117. Call it New Orleans 117, the Lakers 112.
12/21 @ CLE 123-104 — NOP notes
NOP won 123-104. NOP shot 55% (47 of 86) to CLE's 47%, 15 of 35 from three, and went to the line 16 times to CLE's 8 — 14 points from the stripe to their 5. Murphy III led with 28 (10 of 16, 6 of 10 from three); McCollum added 18, Ingram 17. The hinge was Q1, 36-28: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 24. Robinson-Earl was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
12/23 vs HOU 104-106 — NOP notes
NOP lost 104-106. NOP shot 46% (38 of 82) to HOU's 43%, 8 of 31 from three, and got to the line 29 times to HOU's 35. NOP turned it over 16 times to HOU's 11, and HOU turned those into 9 steals. Williamson led with 28 (11 of 16, 5 of 10 at the line); Ingram added 19, Murphy III 14. Q2 was theirs, 27-21, turning a 2-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 85-77 against them. Jones's -13 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/26 vs MEM 115-116 — NOP notes
NOP lost 115-116 in 1 overtime. NOP shot 43% (42 of 97) to MEM's 43%, 10 of 31 from three. Ingram led with 24 (9 of 20, 2 of 4 from three); Williamson added 23, Valančiūnas 17. Q2 was theirs, 29-19, turning a 5-point deficit into a 5-point lead, but the other 4 periods went 97-86 against them. They led by as many as 15. McCollum's -9 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/28 vs UTA 112-105 — NOP notes
NOP won 112-105. NOP shot 55% (45 of 82) to UTA's 42%, 10 of 27 from three, and got to the line 15 times to UTA's 25. Ingram led with 26 (9 of 18, 7 of 7 at the line); McCollum added 22, Williamson 21. The hinge was Q2, 20-14: a lead of 2 became 8. Nance Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/31 vs LAL 129-109 — NOP notes
NOP won 129-109. NOP shot 52% (45 of 87) to LAL's 48%, 17 of 34 from three. The glass went 47-35 for them. Ingram led with 26 (10 of 18, 4 of 7 from three); Williamson added 26, McCollum 22. The hinge was Q1, 42-33: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Ingram was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/02 vs BKN — 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 117 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Williamson at 24 and Ingram at 22 a game. One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 32 free throws a game; Bridges at 19 and Cam. Johnson at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Simmons (26 straight), Walker IV (15 straight), Clowney (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 108 a night to Brooklyn's 121 and the arc, New Orleans at 38 percent from three to Brooklyn's 31. Call it New Orleans 119, Brooklyn 112.
1/03 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 34 and Towns at 16 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Williamson at 22 and Ingram at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Murphy III (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 104 a night to Minnesota's 111 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 17 times a game to New Orleans's 14. Call it Minnesota 112, New Orleans 110, New Orleans keeping it close.
1/05 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 104, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ingram at 21 and Williamson at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Murphy III (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 25 and Harden at 19 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Tucker (17 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 104 a night to the Clippers' 116. Call it New Orleans 117, the Clippers 111.
1/07 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 25 and Sabonis at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Ellis (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; McCollum at 19 and Williamson at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to Sacramento's 116 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-10 a night and New Orleans plus-4. Call it Sacramento 116, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/23 @ OKC 129-120 — LAL notes
LAL won 129-120. LAL shot 52% (47 of 90) to OKC's 48%, 16 of 32 from three. James led with 40 (13 of 20, 5 of 5 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Davis added 26, Hachimura 21. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: LAL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 26. Reddish was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/25 vs BOS 115-126 — LAL notes
LAL lost 115-126. LAL shot 48% (43 of 90) to BOS's 51%, 13 of 32 from three, and got to the line 21 times to BOS's 28. Davis led with 40 (15 of 26, 2 of 4 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Prince added 17, James 16. Q2 was theirs, 34-26, the deficit cut from 9 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 100-81 against them. Prince's -12 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/28 vs CHA 133-112 — LAL notes
LAL won 133-112. LAL shot 54% (52 of 97) to CHA's 47%, 15 of 30 from three, and got to the line 14 times to CHA's 28. LAL turned it over 11 times to CHA's 19. Davis led with 26 (11 of 19); Hachimura added 17, James 17. The hinge was Q3, 41-23: a lead of 1 became 19, and the lead reached 28. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
12/30 @ MIN 106-108 — LAL notes
LAL lost 106-108. LAL took 12 more shots (88 to 76), but shot 42% to MIN's 50%, 7 of 24 from three, and went to the line 32 times to MIN's 24 — 25 points from the stripe to their 20. LAL turned it over 10 times to MIN's 19. Davis led with 33 (12 of 17, 8 of 10 at the line); James added 26. Q4 was theirs, 29-26, the deficit cut from 5 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 82-77 against them. They led by as many as 11.
12/31 @ NOP 109-129 — LAL notes
LAL lost 109-129. LAL shot 48% (39 of 82) to NOP's 52%, 10 of 32 from three. The glass went 35-47 against them. James led with 34 (12 of 24, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Reaves added 20, Davis 20. Q3 was theirs, 32-30, the deficit cut from 17 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 99-77 against them. Reaves's -19 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 27 a game. Without Vincent (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Herro at 23 and Adebayo at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Martin (3 straight), Richardson (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Miami has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the line, where Miami takes 31 free throws a game to the Lakers' 23. Call it the Lakers 116, Miami 114, Miami keeping it close.
1/05 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Russell (2 straight), Vincent (7 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 119, shooting 42 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Morant at 22 and Bane at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Jackson (9 straight), LaRavia (9 straight), Gilyard (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been minus-2 a night and Memphis minus-12. Call it the Lakers 116, Memphis 109.
1/07 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Russell (3 straight), Hachimura (2 straight), Vincent (8 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 106, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 24 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 7 a night. Without Tucker (18 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-7 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the arc, the Clippers at 42 percent from three to the Lakers' 32. Call it the Clippers 116, the Lakers 112, the Lakers keeping it close.
1/09 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 29 from three, 25 free throws a game; Davis at 27 and James at 26 a game. Without Hachimura (3 straight), Vincent (9 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 123, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 27 free throws a game; Siakam at 26 and Barrett at 21 a game. Without Dick (6 straight), Freeman-Liberty (34 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, Toronto at 42 percent from three to the Lakers' 29 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 15 times a game to Toronto's 10. Call it the Lakers 117, Toronto 116, Toronto keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CW C. Wood
JH J. Hayes
JH J. Hood-Schifino
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
MC M. Christie
RH R. Hachimura
TP T. Prince
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
NM N. Marshall
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
Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram each score 26 points, Pelicans top Lakers 129-109
NEW ORLEANS -- — Zion Williamson has no interest in forgetting the New Orleans Pelicans ' most embarrassing loss of the season.
Memories of the 133-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament semifinal in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 are painful, Williamson said, but the sluggish performance might also have been a “blessing in disguise.”
Williamson and Brandon Ingram each scored 26 points and the Pelicans beat the road-weary Lakers 129-109 on Sunday night to improve to 7-3 since leaving Las Vegas.
“It definitely brought us together more as a team,” Williamson said. "I feel like we’ve been playing great since then. We’ve still got some things to figure out, but so does every other team.”
Los Angeles was coming off a 108-106 loss at Minnesota on Saturday night, while New Orleans was off two days after beating Utah at home Thursday night.
LeBron James scored 34 points and former Pelican Anthony Davis added 20 points and 10 rebounds, but they didn’t get enough help as the Lakers lost for the seventh time in nine games.
“We have to figure it out and get better, for sure,” James said. “We're not one team that likes to play from behind. We've been in that position a lot this year.
“The flight last night did not help, obviously,” added James, who played through flu-like symptoms on Saturday and Sunday. “We didn't get to the hotel last until 3:45 (a.m.). So, it was a rough day trying to recalibrate and get ready for the game. But I'm happy I was able to go out and just try to make some plays happen for my team.”
The Pelicans had the look of a team seeking redemption for it's previous dud against the Lakers — and played with vigor in front of a packed and festive New Year’s Eve crowd.
“The way we lost the game, you want to redeem yourself,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We talked about it the last coupe days and watched some film on it — as hard as it was.”
CJ McCollum added 22 points for the Pelicans, who led by 19 points and responded to each comeback bid with the help of 50% 3-point shooting (17 of 34) as a team and crafty 6-foot guard Jose “Grand Theft” Alvarado's four steals and and two blocks.
Alvarado is “one of our emotional leaders and his ability to impact this team with his energy, his effort, it was huge tonight," Green said. "It’s a blessing to have a guy like that on your team who can really ignite the whole building.”
It was the fourth time that New Orleans' “Big Three” — Williamson, Ingram and McCollum — each scored 20 or more in one game, including once last season and three times in the past month. The Pelicans are 4-0 in such games.
“Not only are they scoring, but they’re sharing the ball with each other and their teammates," Green said. "That’s the trust factor we have to have.”
Larry Nance Jr . had 11 points and 10 rebounds in just his second game back from a rib injury. Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas each scored 13 points.
The Lakers went into the game without forward Cam Reddish (adductor) and D'Angelo Russell (back), while the Pelicans were without one of their top 3-point shooters in Trey Murphy III (left knee). All were day-to-day.
Then Lakers forward Rui Hachimura left the game in the first half with a left calf strain.
Despite missing Murphy, New Orleans was on from deep. McCollum made five early 3s and finished with six. Jones made three 3s from the right corner in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Alvarado delighted the crowd by picking the pockets of both James and Davis during the second quarter, when New Orleans led by 19 points.
“LeBron, that’s one of the greatest players to ever play this game and for me to be on the court, for me to get steals, for me to do anything, that’s pretty amazing," said Alvarado, who was undrafted out of Georgia Tech. "When I get back to watch videos when I grow old, and they say that (James) is the best player to play this game, at least I got a video of him (with me) getting a steal.”
James had 21 of his points in the first half and Davis had 13 in the opening 24 minutes.
But the Pelicans hit 10 of 17 3s in the first two periods, and took a 74-57 halftime lead after Ingram's block of Max Christie 's shot ignited a fast break finished by Nance's layup.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host Miami on Wednesday night to begin a five-game homestand.
Pelicans: Host Brooklyn on Tuesday night to conclude a five-game homestand.