March 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake Larabia (12) fights for the ball between Sacramento Kings guard Daekwon Plowden (29) and forward Precious Achiuwa (9) during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Image After a good start in an extended home game, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to gain momentum when the New Orleans Pelicans visit on Tuesday.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James were there again for the Lakers in a 128-104 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. The contest began with Los Angeles playing seven of eight games in its own stadium.
The Lakers ended a three-game losing streak with a win at Golden State on Saturday, then returned home and won the next day. They also have a road/home back-to-back starting Thursday in Denver.
Doncic had 28 points and 9 assists against Sacramento, while James added 24 points and showed good energy throughout the game. James’ performance was highlighted in the first half with an alley-oop dunk off an Austin Reaves pass and a fast-break jam that put the Lakers up by 24 points with less than 10 minutes left.
After Los Angeles experienced a lull in the third quarter in which the Kings tied the game within 10 points, the Lakers rediscovered their mettle and entered the fourth with a 20-point lead after a last-second James 3-pointer.
“(Doncic) struggled in the third quarter. We were struggling to have a cohesive offense to take control of the basketball,” Lakers coach JJ Reddick said. “I called a timeout, and I thought he made a lot of really amazing plays in (the next) overtime. We got back up to speed.”
The Lakers hit 18 of 39 (46.2%) 3-pointers, Doncic made 4 of 8 from long range and James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard each made three 3-pointers. Kennard is shooting 48.3% from 3-point range and averaging 10.2 points in 10 games since joining the team in a trade from the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pelicans were on a four-game winning streak before struggling on defense in a 137-117 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
A pair of rookies led New Orleans off the bench. Jeremiah Pierce tied career highs with 28 points and made five 3-pointers, while Derek Quinn added 19 points.
“My teammates continued to lift me up and give me the ball,” Fears said. “… The players and coaches trust me to go out there and make the right plays. We had too many turnovers tonight, but we’re definitely going to watch film to try to beat them.”
Fears turned it over a game-high five times, New Orleans committed a total of 17 turnovers and the Clippers scored 36 points.
“He’s shot good and made good plays, so we want to see him grow,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said of Pierce, who averaged 13.4 points and played in 44 of the team’s 62 games. “He’s heading in the right direction.”
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson missed Sunday’s contest with a right ankle sprain after playing in 35 consecutive games, his longest streak in seven seasons since making his NBA debut in 2020. Trey Murphy III (shoulder) returned from a five-game absence and scored 16 points.
Williamson was listed as questionable on Tuesday.
–Field level media
