An amazing 87-point first half helped the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 139-122 on Friday night. D’Angelo Russell scored 30 points and Austin Reaves added 27.

Rui Hachimura scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half, and LeBron James had 21 points and 14 assists. The Lakers put on an offensive show that earned them their fourth win in five games. Los Angeles won the second night of a back-to-back set with Anthony Davis scoring 20 points. They jumped ahead with a 51-point second quarter and stayed ahead the whole second half.

Reaves said, “That just shows what we can do offensively as a team.” “That’s just how the game should be played.” Everyone gets a better feel and flow when we do that, and that’s how we settle into it. 
Russell was great when he came back from missing one game with an injury. He made six 3-pointers and had five assists, and the Lakers ended New Orleans’ four-game winning streak.

The Lakers tied a club record with 51 points in the second quarter, giving them an 87–74 lead at halfway. It was their best half of the season and the second-highest-scoring first half in team history. Russell led the way with 21 points, but all five players scored at least 12. Los Angeles also made 11 3-pointers and 67.4% of its shots overall.

Davis said, “D-Lo had it going on.” “Rui played.” When we get stops in the paint, move the ball quickly, and share the ball, our offence starts to work, and we can score 51 points in a quarter. 

For the Pelicans, Zion Williamson scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Brandon Ingram scored 22 points. They split two games in downtown Los Angeles to start their four-game road trip.

“We just didn’t have a physical presence on defense tonight,” said Willie Green, the coach of the Pelicans. “I thought our first quarter was good, but the second quarter got away from us.” When you’re up 51 points, it’s hard to come back against a team this good. They made some shots, and we helped them out when they weren’t being rough. 
Russell missed Thursday’s loss to Denver because his left knee hurt, but he came back and played very well after scoring 24.0 points per game in his previous 13 games. Russell’s better play over the past few weeks was a big reason why the Lakers didn’t make any trades at the trade deadline, even though they were ninth in the Western Conference standings.

The Lakers have been stuck around 500 all season and haven’t made any moves, but they’re still looking for help on the buyout market. This week, Spencer Dinwiddie was moved by Brooklyn and waived by Toronto. He watched the game from the stands next to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. 
Dinwiddie went to Dallas’ game at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and could help the Lakers by hitting from the outside and carrying the ball if they can sign him. Altogether, he scored 12.6 points and gave out 6.0 assists per game for the Nets this season.

Davis said, “He’s a big guard who makes shots.” “We saw him make big plays for Brooklyn and Dallas. He has been in this game for a long time and is a well-known player.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Pelicans. He missed the second half of their win over the Clippers on Wednesday because he hurt his leg.

In the first quarter, Davis got his third foul, which made the Lakers change how they rotate players. Meanwhile, Ingram scored 16 points and Williamson scored 14. This helped New Orleans score 39 points in the first quarter.

Russell scored 16 points and Reaves scored 12. This helped the Lakers get back on track with 51 points in the second.

Lakers guard Max Christie didn’t play because he hurt his right ankle Thursday against Denver. Coach Darvin Ham also said that the Lakers hope that starting point guard Cam Reddish can come back from his broken ankle after the All-Star break.