The Los Angeles Lakers have now won their 5th straight game after narrowly escaping the New Orleans Pelicans on November 17 behind rookie Dalton Knecht’s exceptional scoring showcase.
After visiting the San Antonio Spurs in Texas just yesterday, the Lakers are once again back on the road to face the Pelicans, who currently is without All-stars Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray. Despite the disastrous first half of missing shots and struggling to get rebounds, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Dalton Knecht put metal to the pedal and came back stronger after halftime. New Orleans couldn’t stop AD in the paint and they kept turning the ball over, eventually giving the Lakers another road win, 104-99.
He’s Got Next: Rookie Knecht Dalton May Be the Biggest Steal of the Draft
Knecht cracked his first 20-point output after putting up 27 points including 5 much-needed triples to go along with his 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Knecht, 23, was picked 17th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft. The young stud has been averaging 9.3 points per game on 40.4% 3-point shooting percentage.
LeBron has gotten hot in the second half and finished with 21 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds. Meanwhile, after a 40-point outburst against Wembanyama and the Spurs, Davis goes up for 31 points and 14 rebounds against Ingram and the Pelicans.
On the other hand, Brandon Ingram did almost everything for New Orleans. The 27-year-old forward played 38 minutes and recorded 32 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds.
The Lakers improved their record to 9-4 and are tied for the third seed in the stacked Western Conference. The purple and gold started out strong for the 2024-2025 season but had a short falling for a few games before gaining back their confidence, winning 5 straight since. Meanwhile, New Orleans dropped to the 14th seed with a 4-10 win-loss record.
