Well, it wasn’t pretty, but at this point, the Los Angeles Lakers may not care about style points. They need wins badly, and they gained one against the New Orleans Pelicans in overtime, 120-117.
After looking sluggish offensively early, L.A. went on a 21-4 run over nearly the last five minutes of the second quarter to take a 56-44 lead at halftime. But that lead dried up in the second half, when the Purple and Gold had trouble hitting shots and turned the ball over quite a bit.
The game looked lost when Larry Nance Jr. made a fast-break dunk with 7.8 seconds left to put New Orleans ahead 111-108. But after Dyson Daniels missed two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining, Matt Ryan, who barely made the Lakers’ roster, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.
Once there, the Lakers had enough manpower to claim their second victory in seven games.
Anthony Davis: B-plus
Davis only had 20 points, and he seems to be getting to the free throw line less often. But his effort defensively and on the boards was outstanding.
He finished with 16 rebounds and four blocked shots to help shut the door on the Pelicans.
So far this season, the Lakers seem to be involving Davis in more pick-and-roll action than they under former head coach Frank Vogel, and it seems to be starting to pay dividends.
LeBron James: C-plus
Statistically, James was somewhat subpar with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but his actual play was worse.
For some reason, he looked strangely lethargic for much of the game. He elected to walk the ball upcourt for much of the night, and he didn’t attack or drive to the basket as much as usual.
James finished 9-of-23 from the field while missing all seven of his 3-point attempts, and he shot only four free throws, making two of them.
Troy Brown Jr.: A-minus
Brown could be emerging into a low-key but solid role player for the Lakers. He scored 15 points on just seven field goal attempts, as he made all six of his attempts from the charity stripe. His 10 rebounds also helped the team outrebound the Pelicans, 56-51.
Patrick Beverley; C-plus
Beverley didn’t seem to make much of an impact statistically, going 0-of-3 from the field and finishing scoreless, but he did have four rebounds, three assists and one steal. That steal came with less than two minutes remaining in regulation off a missed free throw to give L.A. another possession.
He has historically been a very good 3-point shooter, and the Lakers will eventually need him to return to that type of marksmanship.
Lonnie Walker IV: A-plus
Walker may have been the best player on the floor throughout the game for the Lakers, at least offensively. He scored 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting overall and 5-of-9 from downtown while adding three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot.
This is the type of production the team and its fans were hoping to get from him when he came to L.A. over the summer.
Matt Ryan: B
Overall, Ryan shot poorly, but thanks to him, the Lakers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
His buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner forced overtime, and it’s that type of shot that will endear him to Lakers fans.
He finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting overall and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Wenyen Gabriel: B-plus
Gabriel showed good energy defensively and on the boards, grabbing four rebounds and adding one steal in 16 minutes. That energy also led to him going 3-of-4 from the field; two of those baskets came on putbacks.
Russell Westbrook: B-plus
Westbrook seems to be adjusting well to his new role off the bench. He was a big reason L.A. went on its big run late in the second quarter, and he played almost flawlessly in the first half.
As the second half wore on, he started to commit turnovers, which led to head coach Darvin Ham taking him out with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter.
The former MVP finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds, nine assists and six turnovers in 25 minutes.
Austin Reaves: C-plus
Reaves went 2-of-6 from the field and missed all three of his 3-point attempts, but he contributed in other ways.
With 1:27 left in the fourth quarter, after a missed free throw by James and a subsequent missed 3-pointer by James, Reaves drew a loose ball foul on Larry Nance Jr. and made both free throws to give Los Angeles a 108-105 lead.
He also made the pass to Ryan that led to the 3-pointer that forced overtime.
