LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16 (BNA): LeBron James scored 21 points in his first game since becoming the NBA’s scoring leader, and Anthony Davis had 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 120-102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night .
D’Angelo Russell scored 21 points and seven assists during his hot reception at home against the Lakers, who won for only the second time in six games. Five new Los Angeles players have all made their home debuts following the club’s busy trade deadline, the Associated Press reports, and the Lakers are never far behind.
It took James three games to permanently rest his left ankle and both feet after he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record on February 7. , who hit the break ranked 13th in the 15-team Western Conference at 27-32.
But the season wasn’t over yet, and the Lakers got promising reinforcements. Jared Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley joined James and Davis in the starting lineup, while Mo Bamba missed out on 16 minutes as a backup center in his Lakers debut.
Russell’s debut was a homecoming, as he played his first two seasons in the NBA in Los Angeles before being traded four times and eventually returning to the Lakers last week. Clearly happy to be back in Hollywood, Russell puts in a stellar performance of making the play, while repeatedly exhorting the audience to a Lakers standing ovation. Brandon Ingram scored 25 points and CJ McCollum had 22 points and nine assists in his return from a one-game absence with a right ankle injury for the Pelicans, who lost for only the second time in six games.
Russell, Beasley and Vanderbilt teammates from his previous two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves re-entered the Lakers’ 30th starting lineup for a 59-game season.
Davis, who scored 13-for-17, scored nine points early in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles pulled away with a strong all-around defensive performance. Dennis Schroeder added 10 points.
New Orleans’ Josh Richardson was ejected with 10:52 remaining in the fourth quarter after he argued loudly for a foul on James. Richardson had eight points.
Tip-ins
Pelicans: Zion Williamson attended the game and greeted James during a layover. He’s missed 22 consecutive games with a hamstring injury, and is expected to be out for several weeks after the break. … Former Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. sat with soreness in his left thigh.
Lakers: Davon Reed played the last 3 1/2 minutes in his first home game with Los Angeles. … Bamba recorded four points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. He had to finish his suspension after Los Angeles transferred him from Orlando to Patrick Beverly last week. … Russell, Ingram, and Nance were teammates on the 2016-2017 Lakers, who went 26-56 in the first season after Kobe Bryant retired.
the next
Pelican: In Toronto on Thursday, February 23.
Lakers: Host Golden State on Thursday, February 23.
Rial