Lakers vs. Pelicans Final Score: Lakers’ depth dominates in 126-99 victory

The Los Angeles Lakers handled business on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans, notching a 126-99 victory to open their back-to-back. This was the purple and gold’s most complete win, wearing the one-win Pelicans out with depth. The Lakers looked like the superior squad as they hit a season high in team scoring.

The bench continues to be a bright spot, giving head coach Luke Walton plenty of options in his rotations. Lou Williams dominated his first stretch of play off the bench, going on to end the night with 21 points. Jordan Clarkson was locked in from deep, making four of his six three-point attempts en route to a team-high 23 points. Nick Young contributed to the rain-making cause, going five-of-seven from deep. The Lakers shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from beyond the arc.

D’Angelo Russell joined in on the guard parade, adding in 22 of his own points. Three Lakers cleared the 20-mark in a balanced attack. Julius Randle set the tone in the first quarter, piling on rebounds early on. He ended the night with 11 boards, all while playing under a great deal of control. Randle made great reads with the ball in his hands, dishing out a game-high eight assists.

This was another great team effort, featuring 73 points from the bench and 36 assists total. The only hiccup was Brandon Ingram rolling his ankle, but he was cleared to return after a quick trip to the locker room. Ingram did not return, but the Lakers were up big and play again Sunday.

Things slipped away from the Pelicans when Anthony Davis went down with a back injury in the third quarter. Davis returned but his mobility looked limited. He scored a game-high 34 points, but his tweaked back hampered his impact. The Pelicans scored just 15 points in the third quarter in a collapse that began when Davis left the floor.

The Lakers wrap up their road trip Sunday afternoon in Minnesota, closing out a back-to-back before heading home to face the Brooklyn Nets. The 6-4 Lakers, winners of five of their last six games, are a sight to behold.