A three-pointer clanked off the side of the backboard. Four players were whistled for technical fouls. Passes from the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans sailed out of bounds.
The errors added up to an ugly game. The result, however, was beautiful for the Lakers, who notched a 110-101 comeback win over the Pelicans on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. They clawed back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win their third consecutive game, showing the kind of resolve coach JJ Redick said he hasn’t seen since November when the Lakers started 15-4.
“Nights like this can change the trajectory for teams and players,” guard Marcus Smart said. “So hopefully this win and tonight, in the way, the fashion that we won it, kicks our confidence up.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Marcus Smart gives Lakers life
Lakers guard Marcus Smart passes the ball under pressure from Pelicans guard Saddiq Bey Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
With calm feet and fast hands, Smart reached in to swat the ball away from a driving Trey Murphy III. The final defensive flourish from Smart put a fitting full-stop on the Lakers win as the former defensive player of the year set the tone with four steals and three blocks and hit a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter to spark the comeback.
“He gave us life tonight,” Redick said.
The 12-year veteran was the only Laker to play every second of the fourth quarter, proving to be a vital piece of the closing rotation along with stars LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.
Doncic led the Lakers with 27 points and 10 rebounds with seven assists, but had seven turnovers. James fueled the Lakers during the third quarter, scoring the team’s first nine points by himself and finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Reaves shook off a bad offensive night to score eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Read more: All five starters score in double figures as Lakers defeat the Pelicans
With so many offensive superstars around him, Smart has instead “starred in his role,” Redick said. The assignment is defense, a role Smart has dutifully filled for his whole career.
“He’s just a winning player,” James said. “He always has been. Ever since I started watching him at Oklahoma State, all the way until being a pro.”
Jaxson Hayes stands up to Zion Williamson
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes falls after Pelicans forward Zion Williamson commits an offensive foul as Lakers guard Austin Reaves watches at at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Matching the physicality of Pelicans forwards Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey was on the top of the Lakers’ scouting report. But the task is easier said than done.
Reaves admitted to being “terrified” of stepping in front of a driving Williamson to draw a charge. The 6-foot-6, 284-pound Pelicans forward is just as physical as he is athletic, creating a fearsome combination for defenders. Healthy for the first time in two seasons, Williamson led the Pelicans with 24 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
“We haven’t seen somebody like that in a long time, right?” Smart said. “[With] his ability. But [being] willing to put your body there, take a charge, take an elbow to the face, box him out, go vertical, is definitely something that you got to be willing to do, and not everybody’s willing to do it. And that’s the difference in the game.”
Center Jaxson Hayes was up to the task. He absorbed a Williamson elbow in the fourth quarter and ended up in the front row of the stands holding his jaw. But the knock was worth it for the offensive foul that helped maintain the Lakers’ 14-0 run that quickly erased the Pelicans’ eight-point lead. The scoring streak started immediately after Hayes subbed back into the game with 7:20 remaining after he scored on his first possession, cutting to the basket for a dunk off an assist from Doncic.
Hayes had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks, playing nearly 23 minutes off the bench in his biggest workload as a substitute since Jan. 20 against Denver. After playing with Hayes in New Orleans during the center’s first two years in the league, Redick lauded the seven-year pro’s improvement. Hayes is sinking touch shots around the rim now. He has improved his decision making in the pocket. After getting benched for his defensive lapses last season, Hayes has impressed coaches with his consistent ability to stay vertical while protecting the rim. And he still brings the same trademark athleticism that made him the eighth overall pick in 2019.
“He consistently injects energy into the group when he runs the floor, blocks a shot, or he gets those dunks,” Redick said.
It’s winning time
Lakers guard Luka Doncic motions across the court after Marcus Smart hit a three-pointer late in a win over the Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena Tuesday night. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers steadied themselves with three wins over bottom-feeding teams. Now things get interesting.
With less than six weeks left of the regular season, the Lakers face a critical stretch of games that could shake up the playoff picture. Five of the Lakers’ next eight games are against the three teams directly ahead of them in the Western Conference, beginning with Thursday’s showdown in Denver. The Lakers are just half a game behind the Nuggets (38-24) for fifth place in the West. Behind conference favorites Oklahoma City and San Antonio, third and sixth place in the West are separated by just 1.5 games.
Players are “aware” of the tight standings, Smart said. But the potentially season-defining stretch can’t be at the forefront of their minds now.
“We don’t have the luxury to look ahead,” Smart said. “I think if we can stay that course and just focus [on] one game at a time, [we can] give ourselves a chance to do some things and catch a good rhythm.”
The Lakers also play fourth-place Minnesota (39-23) at home on March 10 and have consecutive road games at third-place Houston (38-22) on March 16 and 18.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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