Lakers vs. Pelicans Game Preview: Another battle of the Wildcats on deck

The Los Angeles Lakers have won four of their last five games and head to New Orleans, where Anthony Davis is playing out of his mind but the Pelicans have a single win to show for it. The Pelicans are on the second half of a back-to-back, which could make for a window for the run-and-run Lakers to push the pace and tire them out with their deep rotation.

Davis is going to be a nightmare for the Lakers’ frontcourt to handle, but between Julius Randle — who just held his own against another fellow Kentucky Wildcat — and Larry Nance, Jr., Luke Walton should always have an athletic big to line up against him. Timofey Mozgov will need to be the last line of defense at the rim, anchoring the paint more than matching up against Davis.

Tim Frazier has been piling up assists, so disrupting his passing lanes is going to be key for D’Angelo Russell and the bigs working against Davis. The Lakers are opening up a weekend back-to-back, following up with a visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves (who will also be on their second game in two nights) on Sunday.

The Lakers lost a very winnable game against the Dallas Mavericks but can make up for it by not letting the Pelicans win two in a row. There needs to be one goal for the Lakers: nullify Anthony Davis. Enjoy the game, which should be a great test for the defense.

Time: 4 p.m. PT

TV: TWSN