Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Troy Brown Jr. #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on February 04, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images/AFP
The New Orleans Pelicans snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 131-121 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, even as Lakers superstar LeBron James crept closer to the NBA all-time scoring record.
Brandon Ingram shook off a scoreless first quarter to lead the Pelicans with 35 points. CJ McCollum added 23 and Trey Murphy added 21 as New Orleans turned the tide against a Lakers team that scored 72 points in the first half and led by 12 midway through the third quarter.
James scored 27 points and now needs 36 to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387.
27 PTS
9 REB
6 ASTLeBron James climbs closer to history with a 27-PT performance 👏
He’s only 36 PTS away from the NBA’s all-time scoring record. pic.twitter.com/L52jRTgmRw— NBA (@NBA) February 5, 2023
He’s averaging more than 30 points per game this season, and could well achieve the summit next week when the Lakers host Oklahoma City on Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
But even with history beckoning the Lakers remain in dire need of victories, and missed a chance to gain on the Pelicans as they both chase a spot in the play-in tournament.
Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram put on a show in New Orleans 👀
Ingram: 35 PTS
AD: 34 PTS pic.twitter.com/bxp0W0eNeQ— NBA (@NBA) February 5, 2023
“We’ve got to win these games,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham. “We had full control of the game.”
Lakers star Anthony Davis scored 34 points against his former team and the Pelicans trailed by eight late in the third quarter when McCollum drove for a basket. New Orleans stole an inbounds pass and Jose Alvarado made a three-pointer to pull the Pels within three heading into the fourth.
“It’s tough,” Ham said. “Their push was basically all energy. That one (third) quarter gave them life.”