Eyeing 7th straight NBA win, LA Lakers face improving New Orleans Pelicans

LOS ANGELES – While continuing to blow through opponents even after drastically altering their roster, the Los Angeles Lakers will take a six-game winning streak into a National Basketball Association (NBA) home match against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 4 (March 5, Singapore time).

The Lakers are coming off consecutive victories against the Los Angeles Clippers in games played without starting forward Rui Hachimura and mostly without starting guard Austin Reaves.

Hachimura is out with a knee injury, while Reaves played nine minutes of the first game against the Clippers with a calf injury. Neither played in the 108-102 win on March 2, with Luka Doncic scoring 29 points and earning nine assists.

“He played fantastic tonight,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said of his trade-deadline addition.

“It was that verve and that spirit of competition, but also just something that maybe it’s an inner demon. I don’t know, but it comes out. It’s fantastic for us when it does.”

While Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent have moved into the Lakers’ starting line-up for now, a major contributor to their latest victory was rookie Dalton Knecht, whose 19 points added up to his highest-scoring game since Jan 28 and his most points in a victory since scoring 20 on Nov 27.

The Lakers thought they had acquired big man Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline for a package that included Knecht.

With that trade ultimately voided, Knecht is showing how much value he can provide by staying right where he was all along.

Los Angeles are second in the Western Conference on 38-21, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-11).

The Pelicans, after a 10-game losing streak that ended just before the All-Star break, are much improved by winning five of their past seven games.

The latest was a 128-121 victory on the road over the Utah Jazz on March 2.

Kelly Olynyk took a turn as scoring leader for New Orleans, contributing a season-high 26 points with nine rebounds.

He was added at the deadline from the Toronto Raptors in a return package for Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans seem to be finding a flow with their new look.

“His IQ is extremely high to go along with his size,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said of Olynyk.

“It’s rare (to be) 6-11, 7-feet, can shoot the ball, put it on the floor, can post, can rebound, can pass, he’s smart defensively, knows when to switch, good with angles. He’s a great addition to our group.”

Zion Williamson, who has 20 total assists over his last two games, has also essentially been a mid-season addition after returning from a hamstring injury in January.

New Orleans (17-44) have won the last four games he has played.

“Zion has been amazing,” Green said last week. “He gets better as the game progresses. He sees what the defence is doing to him.”

Williamson has averaged 24.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 17 games since his return but has yet to play in a back-to-back.

New Orleans’ next set of games on consecutive days is March 8 and 9, at Houston and home against the Memphis Grizzlies, respectively.

In NBA action on March 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his fourth 50-point game of the season as the Thunder romped to a 137-128 home win over the Houston Rockets.

The league’s leading scorer had 51 points with seven assists and five rebounds, making all 10 of his free throws as Oklahoma City moved to 50 wins for the season.

“I’m just trying to be aggressive, trying to get my team energy, trying to make the right play,” the Canadian said.

“Whatever the ball and the game tells me to do, I do.”

Stephen Curry returned to his home town Charlotte and led the Golden State Warriors to a 119-101 win over the Hornets. He had 21 points and 10 assists.

Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 35 points and nine rebounds but the Hornets fell to their seventh straight loss.

The Dallas Mavericks lost star guard Kyrie Irving to a left knee sprain in the first quarter as they fell to a 122-98 home loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The Mavericks, still reeling from the trade which saw them lose Doncic to the Lakers, have lost four of their last five games while the Kings have won four straight.

Off the court, Dallas are upping season-ticket prices by at least 8.5 per cent for next season, citing “ongoing investments in the team and fan engagement”.

In a ticket-cost plan revealed on March 3 in a press statement, the Mavericks said the new prices will better reflect seat values in high-demand areas, seats closest to the court and fan experiences with upgrades and access to in-game entertainment and member benefits. REUTERS, AFP