Lakers vs. Pelicans Final Score: Lou Williams plays big late in 95-91 victory

The Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans in a 91-95 victory. Both teams struggled throughout thi night, exchanging desperation blows down the stretch, but the ball bounced the purple and gold's way to snap a four-game losing streak. Lou Williams scored nine points in the fourth quarter, coming up huge in a handful of wild sequences through the final minutes.

Kobe Bryant started the game after sitting out because of a sore Achilles. He returned to the locker room in the second quarter after playing 16 minutes through the first half, and it's unclear whether he aggravated his right Achilles or took the remainder of the night off for precautionary reasons.

The Lakers' depth was restored with Bryant, D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Bass available, but the game felt like a continuation of the kind of malaise that was present against the Utah Jazz. The Lakers' first made three-point shot wasn't until the third quarter, while the team shot 36 percent overall as a team. An overwhelming amount of free-throw attempts (32) kept them in the game, not taking their first lead until the fourth quarter.

Williams scored a team-high 19 points despite shooting just 4-of-14 from the field, doing the majority of his work at the charity stripe. Julius Randle helped seal the win with a drive and finish at the basket after securing an offensive rebound, ending the night with a team-high 11 rebounds in 25 minutes.

The Lakers are off Wednesday, giving them a day to recuperate and hopefully perk up before their last trip to Roaracle against the Golden State Warriors.