Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Match Player Stats On Feb 23, 2019

The New Orleans Pelicans got off to a hot start even without star center Anthony Davis and cruised to a 128-115 victory against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

The Pelicans scored 42 points in the opening quarter, the most in any quarter this season, as Davis rested after playing Friday night at the Indiana Pacers.

Jrue Holiday had 27 points and seven assists for New Orleans, and Julius Randle scored 24 points against Los Angeles, the team that drafted him in the first round five years ago but wouldn't re-sign him last summer.

Cheick Diallo matched his season high with 18 points off the bench, his fifth game in double figures this month after previously having three games in double digits this season. Ian Clark scored 17 off the bench, and Elfrid Payton finished with 14 points and nine assists for New Orleans.

Brandon Ingram scored 29 points to lead the Lakers after he was limited to six points in six first-half minutes because of foul trouble. LeBron James had 27 points, 12 assists and four steals, and Kyle Kuzma finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who committed 23 turnovers.

The Lakers made their first seven shots and both teams shot better than 66 percent from the floor in the first quarter, but it was the Pelicans who scored the final seven points to take a 42-35 lead into the second.

New Orleans, which led by 20 points in the first half Friday night at the Pacers before losing 126-111, took its first double-figure lead two minutes into the second quarter. The Pelicans closed the quarter strong again, outscoring the Lakers 12-3 over the final four minutes to take a 69-57 lead into the break, and Los Angeles never got back within single digits.

The Pelicans expanded their lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter before taking a 100-84 lead into the fourth.

--Field Level Media