Lakers at Pelicans
The specter of what could have been hangs over any battle between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers despite the uncertain status of superstar forward Anthony Davis. Davis sat two of the last three games and is considered day-to-day with a back injury as the Pelicans get set to host LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday.
James and Los Angeles openly courted Davis prior to the trade deadline in negotiations that went public but ultimately led nowhere, and both superstars will sit out the postseason. While Davis is in and out of the lineup for New Orleans, James is still going strong and scored 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting to go with nine assists in a 129-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. "I said it after the game: 'We picked a hell of a time to have a great rhythm,'" James told reporters. "We're having fun, we're playing the way we wanted to play all year." The Pelicans are still battling as well and snapped a three-game slide with a 121-118 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday behind another big game from former Los Angeles power forward Julius Randle.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), FS New Orleans
ABOUT THE LAKERS (34-42): Point guard Rajon Rondo handed out a season-high 17 assists to go with seven points, six rebounds and five steals in Friday's win and spoke after the game about his desire to remain with Los Angeles next season. "I don't know what the future holds as far as the summer -- if I come back, or who else comes back or if I don't come back," Rondo told ESPN. "Those things are out of my control. But at the same time, it's a great organization. I can't say enough about the staff and the people who work here. They're really kind and helpful, so I want to continue, if I can, help this organization grow." Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a free-agent-to-be as well and showed off with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting in Friday's win.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (32-45): Randle exploded for 34 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's victory and is averaging 24.4 points in March, over three more than his season mark (21.2). The 24-year-old Kentucky product knocked down three 3-pointers in Thursday's win and is shooting 33.7 percent from beyond the arc. "It's cool. It's what I worked so hard for in the summer," Randle told reporters. "Shooting the ball, expanding my offensive game, being more versatile. I have a lot I can get better at, too. That is what's the more exciting thing, that I've gotten better from last year, but I've got a lot more I can (improve). That's the exciting part for me."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pelicans PF Christian Wood scored a career-high 25 points on Thursday and is averaging 24 over the last two contests.
2. Lakers SG Lance Stephenson collected 14 points and 13 rebounds on Friday for his first double-double of the season.
3. The home team took each of the last five meetings, with New Orleans earning a 128-115 home win on Feb. 23.