NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Result: New Orleans Pelicans def. Los Angeles Lakers, 128-115

The Lakers will not be in the playoffs if they were to happen today and the things are really spooky for them right now. It is expected that LeBron James will start being more ball dominant in this final half of the regular season to drag them to the playoffs.

Coming off a huge win against the Houston Rockets, the Lakers were up against the Davis-less New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers did not have the luck on their side as the Pelicans walked home without breaking a sweat.

The Lakers have dug themselves a hole and will need to treat every game seriously from here on. In this article, let us take a look at three of the talking points from the Pelicans' easy win over the Lakers.

#3 Bad three-point shooting and turnovers never kept the Lakers in the game

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled shooting against the Pelicans. Credit: The Advocate

The Lakers were not great shooting the ball from distance and also committed a lot of turnovers. These mistakes never really allowed them to stay in the game as the Pelicans who got off to a hot start walked away with the victory comfortably.

While stars like LeBron James and Brandon Ingram did a great job of scoring, they also accumulated 9 turnovers. Kyle Kuzma also had a rough night as he only shot 1-for-5 from the three-point line.

The entire bench combined for just 1-for-10 from downtown and the stat itself talks about the kind of game they have had. The entire Lakers roster went 10-for-29 from the three-point line while the Pelicans combined for 15-for-40. The Pelicans committed 18 turnovers to the Lakers' 23.

#2 LeBron alone can't win games for the Lakers

LeBron played well but the Lakers could not get the win. Credit: The Advocate

There is no doubt in my mind that LeBron James is one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. If there is anyone who can turn the tables around, it is definitely LeBron James. When was the last time a team with LeBron on it held losing record this late into the season?

In their last win against the Rockets, LeBron came to the rescue, along with Brandon Ingram to take them home. However, two nights later, while James was once again in his elements, the same cannot be said of other players.

James had 27 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, and a block, all of this on 11-for-17 shooting and yet, they lost. One thing is clear. The King alone cannot win games for the Lakers. They need contribution from each of their players if they want to make it to the postseason.

#1 Jrue Holiday's impressive all-round performance

Jrue Holiday carried the offensive load to lead the Pelicans home. Credits: The Advocate

The Pelicans were without their perennial All-Star, Anthony Davis in this game and they needed everything they could get from their point guard, Jrue Holiday. To no one's surprise, he did go off scoring 27 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, to go along with 3 steals, on a very impressive 10-for-18 shooting.

He used his vision to perfection to involve his teammates and performed exceptionally well. Even though the Pelicans have been struggling all season long to register wins, Jrue has been playing at an elite level and even though he is struggling shooting from behind the arc, he is doing a great job of finding ways to score.

The 2013 All-Star is averaging career-high numbers in across all the statistical categories and with the Pelicans almost out of playoffs contention, it will be interesting to see how he approaches the remainder of the season.