Lakers at Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans finally secured their first win on Thursday at Milwaukee 112-106 and are looking to make it two in a row when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. The Pelicans are beginning to get production from players other than Anthony Davis and will play four of the next five at home as they try to put up a win in front of friendly fans.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, who oversaw a 30-52 record in his first year on the job last season, disputed the notion that Thursday's win was just another game. "Of course it was relief. Are you kidding me? We’re 0-8 and fighting for our lives," Gentry told reporters. "Everything that we’ve done in some kind of way has kind of gone bad, and to be able to finish the game and to come away with a win, yeah, it’s relief. I’m not gonna sit here and go, ‘Oh, yeah. It was just another game.’ It was huge relief for us." The Lakers already have as many wins in 2016-17 as they did at Christmas last season after opening the three-game road trip with a 101-91 win at Sacramento to improve to 5-4. Los Angeles power forward Julius Randle did not back down from Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins in the win and faces another tough defensive challenge in Davis.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE LAKERS (5-4): Randle collected 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists on Thursday but left a lasting image of himself at midcourt jawing back and forth with Cousins after the final buzzer sounded, refusing to back away until teammates and coaches stepped in the middle. Randle is averaging 17 points and 9.3 rebounds with two double-doubles in the last four games and is proving to be a solid anchor down low as his young teammates patrol the perimeter. Point guard D'Angelo Russell, 20, added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting Thursday and is 12-of-21 from the floor in the last two games.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (1-8): New Orleans had four starters score in double figures on Thursday as Terrence Jones joined the starting five and contributed 10 points while Tim Frazier collected 15 points and 10 assists. Several of those assists went to shooting guard E'Twaun Moore, who poured in 20 points in the win. "Previous games, we had a lead or we were down two points and we didn’t make enough plays at the end of the game," Moore told ESPN.com. "We were just like, 'We gotta find a way, find a way,' and we came up with enough plays to get the victory."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pelicans rookie G Buddy Hield went 3-of-6 from 3-point range on Thursday after hitting 4-of-28 in the previous three games.
2. Lakers SF Luol Deng totaled 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting in the last four contests.
3. Los Angeles took two of three in the series last season, including a 99-96 win in New Orleans on Feb. 4.