TheNew Orleans Pelicans suffered a tough 124-108 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, despite a fiery start from Jose Alvarado. Alvarado poured in 27 points—tying his season high—to give the Pels an early edge, including an electric 18-point first quarter that stunned a sleepy Lakers squad out of the gate.
But New Orleans couldn’t sustain the momentum, as the Lakers surged in the second quarter behind Luka Doncic, who shook off a brutal night against the Warriors to finish with 35 points. The Pelicans trailed by nine at the half and never fully recovered, dropping their fourth straight away from the Smoothie King Center.
For the Pelicans, silver linings were few but noticeable.Karlo Matkovic chipped in 15 points in extended minutes, continuing to show flashes of what he could become. However, the team struggled to contain the Lakers’ perimeter shooting, especially from Austin Reaves, who torched New Orleans with six threes en route to a 30-point night.
The defense faltered in critical stretches, with miscommunication and poor closeouts allowing the Lakers to shoot a blistering percentage inside the arc. With the loss, the Pelicans now look to regroup quickly before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday—a tall task for a squad desperate to get back in the win column and reclaim some consistency down the stretch.
