Lakers add to mastery of Pelicans
LOS ANGELES — Lebron James had 21 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Anthony Davis added 17 points against his former team in the Los Angeles Lakers’ fifth consecutive victory, 112-95 over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Kentavious Caldwell-pope hit four 3-pointers while scoring 16 points, and Montrezl Harrell also had 16 for the defending NBA champions.
The Lakers remained unbeaten in five meetings with the Pelicans since the franchise-altering trade in July 2019 that sent Davis to Los Angeles and three starters to New Orleans.
Brandon Ingram scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half against his former team for the Pelicans, who have lost five straight.
Zion Williamson had 21 points and 12 rebounds after missing Wednesday’s game against the Clippers because of the NBA’S health and safety protocols, but New Orleans blew an early 15-point lead on its third stop on a seven-game trip.
Davis averaged 36 points and 12 rebounds in his three reunions with the Pelicans last season, but he took a complementary role this time in another impressive team win led by James and featuring seven Lakers scoring at least nine points.
Dennis Schroder had 12 points and Kyle Kuzma 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers.
■ Thunder 127, Bulls 125, OT: At Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-alexander scored a career-high 33 points for Oklahoma City, which overcame a 22-point second-half deficit for its first home win in six tries. Zach Lavine had 35 points for Chicago, which lost its fourth straight.
■ Cavaliers 106, Knicks 103: At Cleveland, Andre Drummond had 33 points and 23 rebounds in Cleveland’s first 30-20 game in 17 years and notched a key steal in the final 30 seconds. The Cavs halted a three-game skid and dealt New York its fifth loss in a row.
■ Jazz 116, Hawks 92: At Salt Lake City, Donovan Mitchell hit six 3-pointers and totaled 26 points for Utah, which broke open the game with a 21-0 second-half run and won its fourth straight. Trae Young had four points on 1-for-11 shooting with seven assists for Atlanta.
■ Clippers 138, Kings 100: At Sacramento, Calif., Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and six assists in three quarters, and Paul George added 26 points for Los Angeles in its 15th straight road win over Sacramento. Marvin Bagley III scored 20 points for the Kings.
■ Bucks 112, Mavericks 109: At Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo missed 9 of 10 free throws but totaled 31 points for Milwaukee, which won its fourth straight. Luka Doncic had 28 points and 13 assists for Dallas, which had won four in a row.
■ Celtics 124, Magic 97: At Boston, Jaylen Brown had 21 points and eight assists for Boston, which won its fifth straight in its return from a weeklong virus-related hiatus. Orlando lost its fourth in a row.