Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves & Deandre Ayton Lead Bounce Back Effort Against Pelicans

Coming off their worst performance of the 2025-26 season so far, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to wipe away the bad taste in their mouths when they continued their road trip against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The matchup against the Pelicans was also the Lakers’ second Emirates NBA Cup group play game, but more importantly it represented the perfect opportunity to bounce back. New Orleans came into game shorthanded as they were without Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole, presenting Los Angeles an easier game on paper.

Like the other games on the road trip, though, the Lakers got off to a slow start defensively as the Pelicans were able to score almost at will. Fortunately, the team eventually snapped back into place on both ends of the floor and wound up taking a commanding lead in the second half that they never relinquished.

Los Angeles beat New Orleans 118-104 to get back in the win column and earn their second victory of the NBA Cup.

The biggest reason behind the Lakers’ slow first quarter was Luka Doncic, who was more content trying to get teammates involved before looking to score. Doncic’s first few points came at the free throw line and he didn’t have a made field goal until the second quarter after he drained a 3-pointer.

However, that seemed to get Doncic going as he was far more aggressive hunting his own shots and getting to the line. While the Pelicans threw Herb Jones and Trey Murphy at Docnic defensively, the Lakers star simply created space with his dribble and body to get shots up.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but Doncic made it work as he finished with 24 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.

Austin Reaves had been having a hard time with his efficiency, but he got back on track against the Pelicans. Reaves seemed happy to take his one-on-one situations, taking defenders off the dribble to get to the cup or the free throw line.

Reaves having a strong offensive night is promising for L.A.’s future success. He led the Lakers in scoring with 31 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with seven assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block.

Deandre Ayton had a strong offensive game as well, taking advantage of a smaller New Orleans front court in the painted area. Not only was Ayton aggressive at the rim, but he was active on the offensive boards as he came up with several second-chance points.

Despite getting into foul trouble, Ayton recorded a huge double-double of 20 points and 16 rebounds on 10-of-11 shooting and was a +35 in 36 minutes of action.

What’s next for the Lakers

The Lakers will take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday to complete the second night of a back-to-back set. They’ll then return home and have a few days off before hosting the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.