Kobe Bryant, Ronnie Price, and Anthony Davis all made a return for their respective teams tonight, as the Los Angeles Lakers dropped their sixth straight game in their loss against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bryant, who had missed the previous two to rest, came back to score 14 points and grab seven rebounds on 6 of 14 shooting in 30 minutes of play. However, he hurt his right shoulder in the third quarter but played through it. Though, Bryant did not look too good on the floor, as he was mostly using his left hand because of the injury.
On the other end, Anthony Davis was fantastic in his return, putting in 29 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and three steals on 11 of 18 shooting from the field. Davis started the game off slowly, but he picked it up in the second half to aid his team to victory.
Prior to the game, the Pelicans received terrible news, as Jrue Holiday is expected to miss two to four weeks with a stress reaction in his right lower leg. In his absence, Eric Gordon was superb, scoring 17 points, dishing out 10 assists, and snatching five boards.
The game was close for the first three quarters, as both teams kept going back-and-forth with the biggest lead between the two teams coming at nine by the Lakers in the second quarter.
The fourth quarter was a whole different story. Led by Davis, the Pelicans spread the game wide open by building a 10-point lead within the first four minutes of the period. The Lakers, meanwhile, were in a drought that lasted three minutes and 42 seconds to begin the fourth.
The Lakers couldn’t pull any closer than nine points from that moment on, as the Pelicans were able to close out the game and win, 96-80, defeating the Lakers for the third time this season.
Jordan Hill led the way for the Lakers with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The only other player in double-figures was Wayne Ellington with 12 points. Nick Young finished with only nine points on 3 of 11 shooting.
The Lakers cut down on their turnovers a bit but still finished with 16, which is considerably high. Most of those turnovers came in the second half, as L.A. only had five miscues in the first half.
Points in the paint were the difference in this one. The Pelicans outscored the Lakers in the paint, 48-26. Tyreke Evans was simply breaking down the defense and getting to the paint at will as he usually does. He notched 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
The Lakers also shot poorly from the field, making 36.4 percent of their shots compared to the Pelicans’ 45.8 percent.
The Lakers have now lost a season-high of six straight games and fall to 12-31 on the year. Kobe Bryant will have an MRI on his shoulder tomorrow.
“He’s being examined by the doctors right now. It’s a sore right shoulder. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow,” coach Byron Scott said.
“(My shoulder) felt fine when I went up, didn’t feel so good when I came down,” Bryant said after the game. “I’ve played with a torn labrum, so I’m not too concerned."
“Stretching, ice bath tonight when we get to San Antonio, do my strength training in the morning. Go about my normal routine,” Bryant continued.
With the win, the Pelicans improve to 21-21, as they continue to pursue the eighth and final playoff spot. After losing to the New York Knicks in their last game, this was an important win for New Orleans.
The Pelicans will head to Minnesota to take on the lowly Timberwolves on Friday, January 23rd. The Lakers will head to San Antonio to finish up their four-game road trip against the Spurs on Friday as well.