National Basketball Association
New Orleans 128, L.A. Lakers 111
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #33 Sean Corbin, #7 Lauren Holtkamp
Attendance: 3700

Brandon Ingram scored 36 points and Zion Williamson added 27 as the host New Orleans Pelicans routed the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 128-111 on Tuesday night.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 points, Kira Lewis Jr. had 16, Jaxson Hayes had 15 and Steven Adams scored 12 as the Pelicans ended a seven-game losing streak against the Lakers.

Ingram made 14 of 21 shots, Williamson made 9 of 13, Alexander-Walker 7 of 14, Lewis 5 of 9, Hayes 4 of 6, and Adams 6 of 6 as the Pelicans shot 52.2 percent from the floor.

New Orleans won its second straight game despite the absence of point guard Lonzo Ball (hip flexor strain) for both games.

L.A. was playing its second consecutive full game without LeBron James, who suffered a high ankle sprain in a loss to Atlanta on Saturday. The Lakers lost at Phoenix 111-94 on Sunday.

Former Pelicans forward Anthony Davis has missed the last month because of a calf strain and is expected to be re-evaluated Friday by the Lakers.

Montrezl Harrell scored 18 points, Kyle Kuzma had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Markieff Morris scored 16, Dennis Schroder had 15, Wesley Matthews 14 and Alex Caruso 10 for L.A., which shot 42.4 percent.

Ingram had seven points and an assist, and the Pelicans made their first six shots of the third quarter to take a 72-55 lead.

Hayes converted a three-point play, Lewis made back-to-back 3-pointers and Alexander-Walker added a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 96-66.

Ingram had 17 points in the third quarter, which ended with New Orleans holding a 102-76 lead.

The score was tied four times in the first quarter before Williamson scored the final three points. He finished with 10 points and Adams had eight as the Pelicans grabbed a 32-29 lead at the end of the period.

Hayes scored six straight points as New Orleans opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run.

The Pelicans built the lead to as many as 17 points before Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 3-pointer reduced the lead to 59-46 at halftime.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Lakers   New Orleans
Montrezl Harrell 18 Scoring Brandon Ingram 36
Kyle Kuzma 7 Assists Kira Lewis Jr. 6
Kyle Kuzma 10 Rebounds Josh Hart 15
Dennis Schroder 10 Free Throws Made Zion Williamson 9
Alex Caruso 2 Steals Josh Hart 5
Montrezl Harrell 2 Blocks Kira Lewis Jr. 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Lakers 111 42.4 18-37 21-30 25 34 4 10 13
New Orleans 128 52.2 10-29 24-26 28 53 3 9 14
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game at home against Denver. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .417 after a loss.
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Lakers have a W/L % of .690 after a win and .533 after a loss.