Pelicans at Lakers
LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be on the same court Friday night but still wearing different uniforms as the Los Angeles Lakers host the New Orleans Pelicans. James created some extra buzz for this matchup when he made comments earlier this week about eventually having the New Orleans star as a teammate in Los Angeles.
Davis isn't slated to become a free agent until the summer of 2020 and New Orleans will be able to offer him a five-year deal with $239 million this summer in a bid to keep him long term. "Obviously, it's cool to hear any high-caliber player say they want to play with me," Davis told reporters on Thursday in response to James' remarks. "But my job is to turn this team around. If we're 15-17, that means I'm not doing my job." Both teams have lost two straight games entering the matchup and Los Angeles is beginning a stretch in which six of eight games are at home after losing three of four on a road trip. "We could've had a pretty good road trip but 1-3 is definitely not the way we would like to have it," James told reporters after Tuesday's 115-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS New Orleans, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (15-17): Davis is feeling better than he did Wednesday, when he missed the entire second quarter and part of the third due to illness during a 123-115 road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Davis still produced 27 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes and his illness, along with ankle injuries to forwards Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic, opened the door for backup Jahlil Okafor to score a season-best 17 points in 13 minutes. "I've just been staying ready," Okafor told reporters. "My teammates were telling me to keep going, so they gave me a lot of confidence."
ABOUT THE LAKERS (18-13): James recorded 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in the loss to the Nets as he bounced back from perhaps his worst game of the season. James had a season-low 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting with just six rebounds and three assists two nights earlier in a 128-110 loss to the Washington Wizards. Forward Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points against the Nets for his eighth 20-point effort in the last nine games and he is averaging 22.8 points during the stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pelicans averaged 128.7 points while sweeping last season's three meetings.
2. Los Angeles PG Lonzo Ball established season highs of 23 points and five 3-pointers during the loss to Brooklyn.
3. New Orleans SF Darius Miller scored a season-best 20 points and matched his career high of six 3-pointers in the loss to the Bucks.