Game ID: 22500045
Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Pelicans
Friday, November 14, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 25 27 25 27 104LAL 35 30 30 23 118
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 11/05 · back-to-backOUT Jordan missed 3 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 6 since 10/24, out tonight
BACK Peavy back 10/27 after 2, 6 min since (40% of 15)
NOP availability going into 11/08 · 2 days' restOUT Williamson missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT McGowens missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Missi missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 4 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 7 since 10/24, out tonight
NOP availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Williamson missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Poole missed 2 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT McGowens missed 3 since 11/04, returns tonight: 5 min (25% of 21)
OUT Missi missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 5 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 8 since 10/24, out tonight
NOP availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Williamson missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Poole missed 3 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Missi missed 4 since 11/04, returns tonight: 2 min (10% of 20)
OUT Jordan missed 6 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 9 since 10/24, out tonight
BACK McGowens back 11/10 after 3, 5 min since (25% of 21)
NOP availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Williamson missed 5 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Poole missed 4 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 7 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 10 since 10/24, out tonight
BACK McGowens back 11/10 after 3, 5 min since (25% of 21)
BACK Missi back 11/12 after 4, 2 min since (10% of 20)
NEW Jones 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/16 · 1 day's restOUT Williamson missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Poole missed 5 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT McGowens missed 2 since 11/12, returns tonight: 13 min (60% of 21)
OUT Jordan missed 8 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 11 since 10/24, out tonight
BACK Missi back 11/12 after 4, 6 min since (31% of 20)
NEW Jones 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/17 · back-to-backOUT Williamson missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Poole missed 6 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 9 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 12 since 10/24, out tonight
BACK McGowens back 11/10 after 3, 9 min since (43% of 21)
BACK Missi back 11/12 after 4, 12 min since (63% of 20)
NOP availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Williamson missed 8 since 11/04, returns tonight: 29 min (98% of 30)
OUT Poole missed 7 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 10 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Looney missed 2 since 11/16, returns tonight: 5 min (36% of 15)
OUT Alexander missed 13 since 10/24, out tonight
BACK McGowens back 11/10 after 3, 10 min since (48% of 21)
BACK Missi back 11/12 after 4, 15 min since (75% of 20)
NOP availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Poole missed 8 since 11/05, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 11 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Alexander missed 14 since 10/24, out tonight
BACK Williamson back 11/19 after 8, 29 min since (98% of 30)
BACK McGowens back 11/16 after 2, 13 min since (60% of 21)
BACK Missi back 11/12 after 4, 14 min since (72% of 20)
BACK Looney back 11/19 after 2, 5 min since (36% of 15)
LAL availability going into 11/05 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 5 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Kleber missed 5 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 10/31 after 3, 39 min since (108% of 36)
BACK Smart back 10/31 after 2, 31 min since (106% of 29)
BACK Hayes back 10/29 after 3, 20 min since (113% of 18)
BACK Smith Jr. back 11/03 after 2, 27 min since (247% of 11)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW LaRavia 24 to 32 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/08 · 2 days' restOUT Reaves missed 2 since 11/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 6 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Kleber missed 6 since 10/27, returns tonight: 14 min (140% of 10)
BACK Dončić back 10/31 after 3, 40 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Smart back 10/31 after 2, 32 min since (108% of 29)
BACK Hayes back 10/29 after 3, 19 min since (107% of 18)
BACK Smith Jr. back 11/03 after 2, 17 min since (153% of 11)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW LaRavia 24 to 34 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 3 since 11/03, returns tonight: 29 min (84% of 35)
OUT Vincent missed 7 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Dončić back 10/31 after 3, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Smart back 10/31 after 2, 30 min since (101% of 29)
BACK Smith Jr. back 11/03 after 2, 19 min since (174% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 11/08 after 6, 14 min since (140% of 10)
NEW LaRavia 24 to 31 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 8 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 11/10 after 3, 29 min since (84% of 35)
BACK Smith Jr. back 11/03 after 2, 19 min since (174% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 11/08 after 6, 14 min since (140% of 10)
NEW LaRavia 24 to 31 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 9 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 11/10, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 11/10 after 3, 30 min since (86% of 35)
BACK Kleber back 11/08 after 6, 11 min since (110% of 10)
LAL availability going into 11/15 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 10 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 11/10, returns tonight: 3 min (27% of 11)
BACK Reaves back 11/10 after 3, 33 min since (95% of 35)
BACK Kleber back 11/08 after 6, 11 min since (110% of 10)
LAL availability going into 11/18 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 11 since 10/27, returns tonight: 16 min (83% of 19)
BACK Reaves back 11/10 after 3, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Smith Jr. back 11/15 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 11/08 after 6, 16 min since (154% of 10)
LAL availability going into 11/23 · 4 days' restBACK Reaves back 11/10 after 3, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Vincent back 11/18 after 11, 16 min since (83% of 19)
BACK Smith Jr. back 11/15 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 11)
LAL availability going into 11/25 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 2 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK Vincent back 11/18 after 11, 18 min since (94% of 19)
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 110 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Murphy III at 23 and Bey at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Williamson (5 straight), Poole (4 straight), Jordan (7 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Dončić at 28 and Hachimura at 17 a game. Without Vincent (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 26 free throws a game to New Orleans's 20. Call it the Lakers 116, New Orleans 114, New Orleans keeping it close.
11/05 @ DAL 101-99 — NOP notes
NOP won 101-99. NOP shot 43% (39 of 91) to DAL's 42%, 10 of 31 from three. The glass went 56-44 for them. Bey led with 22 (9 of 14, 4 of 6 from three); Fears added 13, Alvarado 13. The hinge was Q1, 29-19: from level to 10 ahead. Alvarado was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
11/08 @ SAS 119-126 — NOP notes
NOP lost 119-126. NOP shot 48% (45 of 94) to SAS's 53%, 15 of 38 from three. Murphy III led with 41 (15 of 22, 5 of 11 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Fears added 18, Jones 15. Q3 was theirs, 27-26, the deficit cut from 8 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 100-92 against them. Hawkins's -22 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 @ PHX 98-121 — NOP notes
NOP lost 98-121. NOP shot 41% (34 of 83) to PHX's 50%, 10 of 32 from three. Murphy III led with 21 (6 of 14, 2 of 7 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Fears added 15, Bey 15. Q4 was theirs, 26-25, the deficit cut from 24 to 23, but the other 3 periods went 96-72 against them. Hawkins's -18 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 vs POR 117-125 — NOP notes
NOP lost 117-125. NOP took 8 more shots (91 to 83), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 47% to POR's 58%, 13 of 39 from three. Queen led with 26 (12 of 18); Bey added 25, Murphy III 22. Q2 was theirs, 34-27, turning a 5-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 98-83 against them. Peavy's -11 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/14 vs LAL 104-118 — NOP notes
NOP lost 104-118. NOP shot 44% (39 of 89) to LAL's 52%, 12 of 34 from three, and got to the line 18 times to LAL's 26. Murphy III led with 35 (13 of 21, 3 of 7 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Fears added 19, Jones 13. Q4 was theirs, 27-23, the deficit cut from 18 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 95-77 against them. Murphy III's -25 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/16 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Murphy III at 26 and Bey at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Williamson (6 straight), Poole (5 straight), McGowens (2 straight). One day's rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Ste. Curry at 35 and Butler III at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Santos (2 straight), Spencer (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Golden State takes 27 free throws a game to New Orleans's 20 and the glass, where New Orleans has been minus-0 a night and Golden State minus-5. Call it Golden State 115, New Orleans 112, New Orleans keeping it close.
11/17 vs OKC — 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 109 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murphy III at 28 and Fears at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Williamson (7 straight), Poole (6 straight), Jordan (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 98, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Wiggins (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 98 a night to New Orleans's 123 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-6 a night and New Orleans minus-3. Call it OKC 121, New Orleans 106, OKC by 15.
11/19 vs DEN — 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 107 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murphy III at 23 and Fears at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Williamson (8 straight), Poole (7 straight), Jordan (10 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 30 free throws a game; Jokić at 37 and Murray at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Braun (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 103 a night to New Orleans's 123 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-8 a night and New Orleans minus-3. Call it Denver 117, New Orleans 108.
11/21 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 124, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Flagg at 17 and Marshall at 16 a game. Without Davis (10 straight), Nembhard (6 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 124, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Murphy III at 24 and Fears at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Poole (8 straight), Jordan (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where Dallas takes 31 free throws a game to New Orleans's 23. Call it Dallas 120, New Orleans 113.
11/05 vs SAS 118-116 — LAL notes
LAL won 118-116. LAL shot 45% (37 of 83) to SAS's 49%, 10 of 31 from three. LAL turned it over 12 times to SAS's 19. Dončić led with 35 (9 of 27, 4 of 11 from three, 13 of 17 at the line); Ayton added 22, Smart 17. The hinge was Q4, 30-20: LAL came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 2.
11/08 @ ATL 102-122 — LAL notes
LAL lost 102-122. LAL shot 46% (37 of 81) to ATL's 52%, 12 of 30 from three, and went to the line 20 times to ATL's 11 — 16 points from the stripe to their 10. LAL turned it over 19 times to ATL's 11, and ATL turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 47-37 for them. Dončić led with 22 (7 of 17, 4 of 10 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Knecht added 14, LaRavia 13. Q4 was theirs, 30-24, the deficit cut from 26 to 20, but the other 3 periods went 98-72 against them. Hachimura's -28 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 @ CHA 121-111 — LAL notes
LAL won 121-111. LAL shot 50% (45 of 90) to CHA's 52%, 14 of 39 from three. LAL turned it over 11 times to CHA's 22. Dončić led with 38 (14 of 28, 5 of 15 from three); Reaves added 24, Hachimura 21. The hinge was Q3, 31-15: a lead of 2 became 18. Reaves was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
11/12 @ OKC 92-121 — LAL notes
LAL lost 92-121. LAL shot 40% (31 of 77) to OKC's 50%, 11 of 35 from three. LAL turned it over 20 times to OKC's 11, and OKC turned those into 14 steals. Dončić led with 19 (7 of 20, 1 of 7 from three, 4 of 7 at the line); Knecht added 16, Hachimura 13. Q4 was theirs, 28-21, the deficit cut from 36 to 29, but the other 3 periods went 100-64 against them. Hachimura's -35 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/14 @ NOP 118-104 — LAL notes
LAL won 118-104. LAL shot 52% (44 of 84) to NOP's 44%, 10 of 34 from three, and went to the line 26 times to NOP's 18 — 20 points from the stripe to their 14. Reaves led with 31 (9 of 16, 2 of 6 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Dončić added 24, Ayton 20. The hinge was Q1, 35-25: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Ayton was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
11/15 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gia. Antetokounmpo at 33 and Rollins at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Porter Jr. (12 straight), Prince (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Dončić at 28 and Reaves at 23 a game. Without Vincent (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 45 percent from three to the Lakers' 34 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-3 a night and Milwaukee minus-8. Call it Milwaukee 119, the Lakers 115, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/18 vs UTA — 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 111, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and Reaves at 23 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Vincent (11 straight). 2 days' rest. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 133, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 29 free throws a game; Markkanen at 31 and George at 21 a game. Without Kessler (8 straight), Harkless (2 straight), Anderson (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 111 a night to Utah's 133. Call it the Lakers 122, Utah 116.
11/23 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 132 a night and allowing 138, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Markkanen at 34 and George at 23 a game. Without Kessler (10 straight), Tshiebwe (15 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Dončić at 32 and Reaves at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. 4 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 111 a night to Utah's 138 and the arc, Utah at 39 percent from three to the Lakers' 34. Call it the Lakers 124, Utah 121, Utah keeping it close.
11/25 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 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 31 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and Reaves at 23 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Vanderbilt (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 119, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Harden at 34 and Zubac at 19 a game. Without Jones Jr. (4 straight), Miller (4 straight), Bogdanović (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-4 a night and the Clippers minus-2 and the defense, the Lakers allowing 110 a night to the Clippers' 119. Call it the Lakers 119, the Clippers 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAR A. Reaves
DA D. Ayton
DK D. Knecht
DO Doncic
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
MS M. Smart
RH R. Hachimura
NOPDQ D. Queen
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JF J. Fears
JH J. Hawkins
KL K. Looney
KM K. Matković
MP M. Peavy
SB S. Bey
TM T. Murphy III
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
Doncic, Ayton and Reaves lead the Lakers past the Pelicans 118-104 to improve to 2-0 in NBA Cup play
NEW ORLEANS -- — Austin Reaves scored 31, Luka Doncic had 24 points and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 118-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.
Deandre Ayton made 10 of 11 shots and finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and a block for the Lakers, who improved to 2-0 in cup play to remain atop West Group B.
Trey Murphy III scored 35 for the Pelicans, who lost their fourth straight game, fell to 0-2 in the in-season tournament, and to a Western Conference-worst 2-10 overall.
Rui Hachimura scored 14 and Marcus Smart 13 for the Lakers, who led 65-52 at halftime after Doncic fed Ayton for an alley-oop dunk.
Doncic, Ayton and Reaves all scored during an 11-0 third quarter run that pushed Los Angeles' lead to 88-66, a surged capped by Reaves' 16-foot driving floater as he was fouled by Jose Alvarado .
The Pelicans briefly trimmed the Lakers' lead to eight when Alvarado and Saddiq Bey hit back-to-back 3s to make it 96-88 with more than eight minutes left.
Doncic hit a 12-foot fade and Reaves, who was 11 of 13 on free throws, hit five late foul shots — along with a 13-foot pullup — to help Los Angeles keep New Orleans at bay.
Murphy surpassed 34 points for the second time in four games for New Orleans. Jeremiah Fears had 19 points and eight steals, and Herb Jones scored 13, Bey scored 11 and Derik Queen grabbed 10 rebounds.
Both teams played without their biggest stars. The Lakers' LeBron James is still working his way back from a preseason bout with sciatica and the Pelicans' Zion Williamson remained sidelined by a recent left hamstring strain.
Up next Lakers: Visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Pelicans: Host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.