Jose Alvarado and Devonte’ Graham were draining threes. The new guy, Larry Nance Jr., was a blocking shot into the scorer’s table, sinking a perimeter shot of his own and dunking. After Thursday’s interconference matchup was a nip-and-tuck affair through three quarters, New Orleans relied on a unique combination of contributors to surge into a double-digit lead, igniting the Smoothie King Center crowd. A 17-4 run put the Pelicans in front for good, resulting in a positive start to a key three-game homestand.
New Orleans moved into ninth place in the Western Conference as a result of the victory, with the Lakers dropping back to 10th.