Game ID: 22401126
New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Lakers
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 10:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 25 37 31 31 124NOP 30 23 31 24 108
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 3/27 · back-to-backOUT Reddish missed 3 since 3/22, not on tonight's roster
OUT Morris missed 2 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Milton missed 2 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 2 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK James back 3/22 after 7, 36 min since (101% of 35)
BACK Hachimura back 3/22 after 12, 23 min since (73% of 32)
BACK Jemison III back 3/20 after 5, 8 min since (82% of 10)
LAL availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 3 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Milton missed 3 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 3 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Jemison III missed 2 since 3/26, out tonight
BACK James back 3/22 after 7, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Hachimura back 3/22 after 12, 23 min since (73% of 32)
BACK Reddish back 3/20 after 3, 22 min since (125% of 18)
LAL availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 4 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Milton missed 4 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 4 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Jemison III missed 3 since 3/26, out tonight
BACK James back 3/22 after 7, 37 min since (104% of 35)
BACK Hachimura back 3/22 after 12, 25 min since (77% of 32)
LAL availability going into 4/03 · 2 days' restOUT Morris missed 5 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Milton missed 5 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 5 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Jemison III missed 4 since 3/26, out tonight
LAL availability going into 4/04 · back-to-backOUT Morris missed 6 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Milton missed 6 since 3/24, returns tonight: 2 min (17% of 11)
OUT Len missed 6 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Jemison III missed 5 since 3/26, returns tonight: 5 min (49% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/06 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 7 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 7 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 5 min since (49% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 8 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 8 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 5 min since (49% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/09 · back-to-backOUT Morris missed 9 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 9 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 3 min since (33% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 10 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 10 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 3 min since (27% of 10)
NOP availability going into 3/24 · back-to-backBACK Missi back 3/17 after 2, 25 min since (94% of 27)
BACK Olynyk back 3/15 after 2, 26 min since (103% of 25)
BACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 21 min since (90% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 12 min since (56% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 13 min since (97% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/28 · 3 days' restBACK Missi back 3/17 after 2, 25 min since (95% of 27)
BACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 18 min since (85% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 8 min since (57% of 14)
NEW Robinson-Earl 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 2 since 3/24, not on tonight's roster
BACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 21 min since (90% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 20 min since (93% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 8 min since (57% of 14)
NEW Brown 25 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Robinson-Earl 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/02 · 2 days' restBACK Brooks Jr. back 3/21 after 17, 22 min since (94% of 24)
BACK Payton back 3/21 after 48, 20 min since (92% of 22)
BACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 6 min since (43% of 14)
NEW Brown 25 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Robinson-Earl 19 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restBACK Cain back 3/23 after 4, 10 min since (72% of 14)
NEW Brown 25 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW Reeves 15 to 21 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/06 · 1 day's restNEW Reeves 15 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Kelley missed 2 since 4/04, out tonight
NEW Reeves 15 to 28 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Kelley missed 3 since 4/04, returns tonight: 23 min (118% of 20)
NEW Reeves 15 to 30 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/11 · back-to-backBACK Kelley back 4/10 after 3, 23 min since (118% of 20)
NEW Reeves 15 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Cain 14 to 23 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 118 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Reaves at 26 and Dončić at 25 a game. Without Morris (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Hawkins at 14 and Brown at 12 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 16 times a game to the Lakers' 11. Call it the Lakers 116, New Orleans 111.
3/27 @ CHI 117-119 — LAL notes
LAL lost 117-119. LAL shot 49% (45 of 91) to CHI's 47%, 12 of 41 from three. Reaves led with 30 (10 of 17, 3 of 9 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Dončić added 25, Hayes 19. Q3 was theirs, 32-17, but the other 3 periods went 102-85 against them. They led by as many as 18. James's -10 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/29 @ MEM 134-127 — LAL notes
LAL won 134-127. LAL shot 51% (45 of 89) to MEM's 53%, 19 of 43 from three, and went to the line 27 times to MEM's 18 — 25 points from the stripe to their 13. Reaves led with 31 (8 of 16, 5 of 8 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Dončić added 29, James 25. The hinge was Q1, 39-28: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Finney-Smith was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/31 vs HOU 104-98 — LAL notes
LAL won 104-98. LAL shot 39% (35 of 89) to HOU's 42%, 16 of 46 from three. Dončić led with 20 (6 of 16, 1 of 7 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Finney-Smith added 20, Vincent 20. The hinge was Q3, 34-29: from level to 5 ahead. Finney-Smith was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
4/03 vs GSW 116-123 — LAL notes
LAL lost 116-123. LAL shot 45% (39 of 86) to GSW's 48%, 18 of 47 from three, and got to the line 23 times to GSW's 31. LAL turned it over 8 times to GSW's 13. James led with 33 (10 of 15, 5 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Reaves added 31, Hachimura 24. Q4 was theirs, 39-35, the deficit cut from 11 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 88-77 against them. Finney-Smith's -14 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/04 vs NOP 124-108 — LAL notes
LAL won 124-108. LAL shot 52% (41 of 79) to NOP's 49%, 16 of 41 from three, and went to the line 28 times to NOP's 22 — 26 points from the stripe to their 14. Dončić led with 35 (10 of 21, 4 of 10 from three, 11 of 11 at the line); Reaves added 30, James 27. The hinge was Q2, 37-23: LAL came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 17. Reaves was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/06 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Reaves at 27 and Dončić at 26 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morris (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been plus-0 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the arc, OKC at 42 percent from three to the Lakers' 37. Call it OKC 120, the Lakers 111.
4/08 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 27 and Reaves at 25 a game. Without Morris (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 117, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/09 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Davis at 23 and Washington at 13 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Exum (11 straight). 3 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 42 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 25 and James at 25 a game. Without Morris (9 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 42 percent from three to Dallas's 32 and the defense, the Lakers allowing 113 a night to Dallas's 120. Call it the Lakers 115, Dallas 114, Dallas keeping it close.
4/11 vs HOU — 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 42 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 30 and James at 27 a game. Without Morris (10 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brooks at 20 and Sengun at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-8 a night and the Lakers plus-0 and the line, where the Lakers take 25 free throws a game to Houston's 18. Call it the Lakers 114, Houston 113, Houston keeping it close.
3/24 vs PHI 112-99 — NOP notes
NOP won 112-99. NOP shot 49% (43 of 87) to PHI's 39%, 15 of 35 from three, and got to the line 13 times to PHI's 19. NOP turned it over 16 times to PHI's 11, and PHI turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 51-37 for them. Matković led with 19 (7 of 11, 3 of 4 from three); Reeves added 17, Missi 16. The hinge was Q1, 29-23: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Robinson-Earl was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/28 vs GSW 95-111 — NOP notes
NOP lost 95-111. NOP shot 41% (33 of 81) to GSW's 41%, 7 of 23 from three. NOP turned it over 15 times to GSW's 10, and GSW turned those into 10 steals. Brown led with 18 (6 of 11, 2 of 4 from three); Missi added 12, Robinson-Earl 11. Q1 was theirs, 28-21, but the other 3 periods went 90-67 against them. They led by as many as 12. Reeves's -17 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/30 vs CHA 98-94 — NOP notes
NOP won 98-94. NOP shot 41% (38 of 92) to CHA's 35%, 9 of 31 from three, and got to the line 17 times to CHA's 25. Brooks Jr. led with 17 (7 of 12, 1 of 4 from three); Reeves added 16, Olynyk 13. The hinge was Q3, 31-21: NOP came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 1. NOP trailed 43-52 at the half and won the second half 55-42. Matković was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
4/02 @ LAC 98-114 — NOP notes
NOP lost 98-114. NOP took 9 more shots (85 to 76), but shot 51% to LAC's 53%, 4 of 22 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 21 fouls committed. NOP turned it over 15 times to LAC's 10, and LAC turned those into 9 steals. Alvarado led with 17 (7 of 16, 0 of 5 from three); Brown added 16, Olynyk 12. Q3 was theirs, 25-24, the deficit cut from 12 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 90-73 against them. Cain's -16 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/04 @ LAL 108-124 — NOP notes
NOP lost 108-124. NOP shot 49% (40 of 82) to LAL's 52%, 14 of 34 from three, and got to the line 22 times to LAL's 28. Alvarado led with 27 (10 of 21, 6 of 10 from three); Matković added 15, Missi 13. Q1 was theirs, 30-25, but the other 3 periods went 99-78 against them. Missi's -15 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/06 vs MIL — 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 102 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Alvarado at 15 and Matković at 13 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 122, shooting 56 percent and 43 from three, 27 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 34 and Kuzma at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Lillard (9 straight), Portis (24 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and Milwaukee minus-6 and the arc, Milwaukee at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 34. Call it New Orleans 115, Milwaukee 114, Milwaukee keeping it close.
4/08 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 116, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; K. Johnson at 15 and Wilson at 13 a game. Without Wilson (2 straight), Clowney (3 straight), Martin (2 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Alvarado at 16 and Reeves at 13 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Kelley (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-2 a night and Brooklyn minus-3. Call it Brooklyn 111, New Orleans 109, New Orleans keeping it close.
4/10 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 54 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 33 and Lopez at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Lillard (11 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Alvarado at 18 and Reeves at 15 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Kelley (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 42 percent from three to New Orleans's 33 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 15 times a game to Milwaukee's 11. Call it Milwaukee 118, New Orleans 109.
4/11 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Alvarado at 20 and Reeves at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Herro at 28 and Adebayo at 24 a game. Without Rozier (2 straight), Jović (25 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 15 times a game to Miami's 10 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and Miami minus-2. Call it Miami 116, New Orleans 110.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAR A. Reaves
DF D. Finney-Smith
DK D. Knecht
DO Doncic
GV G. Vincent
JG J. Goodwin
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
TJ T. Jemison III
NOPAR A. Reeves
BB B. Brown
EP E. Payton
JA J. Alvarado
JC J. Cain
JR J. Robinson-Earl
KB K. Brooks Jr.
KM K. Matković
KO K. Olynyk
LQ L. Quinones
YM Y. Missi
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
Luka Doncic bounces back to lead the Lakers to a 124-108 victory over the Pelicans
LOS ANGELES -- — Luka Doncic had 35 points, Austin Reaves added 30 and LeBron James had 27 in the Los Angeles Lakers ' 124-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Doncic struggled in a 123-116 loss to Golden State a night earlier, finishing with 19 points on and being exploited several times on the defensive end, but he responded to help the Lakers maintain their grip on third place in the Western Conference ahead of Denver and the Warriors. The Lakers have won three of four.
Jose Alvarado led the Pelicans with 27 points, and Karlo Matkovic had 15. New Orleans dropped its fourth straight on the road.
Alvarado capitalized on a sluggish start by the Lakers, scoring 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first quarter to help spot the Pelicans a five-point lead.
But Los Angeles got going in the second quarter to take a 62-53 advantage at the half. Doncic had 11 points in the period and James added 10 as the Lakers made all nine of their shots from inside the 3-point line.
Takeaways Pelicans: Alvarado tied his season high in scoring, matching his 27 against Cleveland on Nov. 6.
Lakers: Dalton Knecht had 12 points, finding some confidence after combining for 14 in his previous six appearances and not seeing the floor in the loss to Golden State.
Key moment Doncic missed his first seven shots before Jordan Goodwin found him running the baseline for a layup with 7:51 left in the second quarter to ignite both the Slovenian star and the Lakers’ offense.
Key stat Reaves is the first Laker to make 15 3-pointers in a two-game span. He made six shots from behind the arc after hitting nine against the Warriors.
Up next The Pelicans host Milwaukee on Sunday, and the Lakers visit Oklahoma City on Sunday for the first of two games against the Thunder.