This was the final game of 2023, the end of a span in which the Lakers had played 14 of 19 games away from Los Angeles.
As the Lakers’ season came to a close, coach Ham issued a statement before the game in New Orleans. The Lakers planned to move on with a new starting lineup, this time with Rui Hachimura as the fifth starter.
“I believe the lineup you see tonight will be the one we stick with for the foreseeable future,” Ham said. It lasted 8 minutes.
Another blow to the team’s search for consistency, paired with a quick turnaround after an emotional loss to Minnesota on Saturday, ensured the Lakers’ calendar year
Hachimura, who replaced Cam Reddish in the starting lineup due to a groin ailment, had to depart Sunday’s game in New Orleans due to a calf injury, adding another hurdle to a club that has returned to.500 (17-17).
“It’s what it is,” LeBron James stated. “It’s our record, and we need to figure it out and improve.”
The record must be especially frustrating given how James and Anthony Davis have performed thus far, with the two stars being more than enough while the supporting cast has varied and scuffled.
James, who was playing for the second consecutive game due to illness, scored 34 points, the 11th best by a 39-year-old in league history. Davis and Austin Reaves have
Reaves, who the team had been hesitant to reintroduce into the starting lineup, had to play alongside the group to begin the second half. Reaves scored 13 of his 20 points in the third.
However, the Lakers were too heavy-legged to respond to the Pelicans, who scored 42 points in the first quarter without slowing down
The Lakers have gone 3-8 since winning the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament.
“We’ve been battling ever since the in-season competition,” Reaves admitted. “Health, injuries, sickness; we’ve had some awful luck there. But, at the end of the day, this occurs to everyone. But we have to look in the mirror and see what we can do to be better.
The defense never physically affected the determined Pelicans, who defeated the Lakers by 44 points in Las Vegas.
For New Orleans, Zion Williamson scored 26 points, Brandon Ingram had 26 and CJ McCollum had 22, and the team trailed only once in the first quarter.
The Lakers will now play 11 of their next 12 games in Los Angeles to begin 2024.
“We’ve been a fairly solid home team thus far, and now we get to take advantage of it,” Davis stated. “We can sleep in our own beds and don’t have to worry about flying. We have our own resources. Get some practice in and let the guys get healthy. So it will be critical for us to make this homestand a success.
