NBA 2018-19: Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans

The Los Angeles Lakers emerged with a victory over the Pelicans 112-104 in what was a tight encounter throughout. The Pelicans kept hanging around in the match despite the Lakers leading for almost the entirety of the match.

With the victory, the Lakers improved to a 19-13 record in the Western Conference playoff standings and are currently lying in the 4th position. The Pelicans have a 15-18 record and are lying in the 13th position in the West.

LeBron James recorded another triple double despite being questionable for the match because of flu-like symptoms. The Lakers badly needed this victory after losing 3 of their last 4 matches. The Pelicans have now lost 6 out of their last 9 matches and are struggling to qualify for the playoffs in this deep Western Conference.

Here are the top 3 takeaways from the match:

#3 Breakout game for Ivica Zubac:

Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Lakers had his best game of the season

Ivica Zubac was put in the starting line up since JaVale McGee had yet not recovered from his illness. He made full use of the opportunity. He finished the game with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks on 8-10 shooting from the floor.

Zubac made a telling contribution in the match on both the offensive and defensive ends. He started off the match very hot from the field and showed terrific movement inside the paint. Zubac also made several good defensive plays. He made a crucial block on Randle in the final minutes which allowed the Lakers to race away with the game. This was Zubac's first start of the season.

Kyle Kuzma also continued his great scoring run scoring a team-high 23 points. Brandon Ingram, on his return from injury, scored 18 points. Lonzo Ball also added 12 points to the team total.

#2 Another monster performance from Anthony Davis:

Anthony Davis is doing it all for the New Orleans Pelicans

Anthony Davis is one of the top players in the NBA at the moment. He is putting in unheard numbers on the stat sheet in every game. He is having a MVP-calibre season and is putting his team in good positions to compete.

Despite having an illness before the game, Davis finished the game against the Lakers with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists. He is averaging 28.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 blocks per game this season. If Pelicans somehow qualify for one of the top seeds in the West, Davis will be one of the prime candidates for the MVP award.

Julius Randle also provided great support to Davis. He finished the game with 21 points on his first return to Los Angeles. He is having a career year with the Pelicans with averages of 19.3 points and 9.4 boards per game.

#1 Good ball movement by the Lakers:

Zubac made full use of great passing from his teammates

The Los Angeles Lakers possess some of the best playmakers in the game. Great playmaking was evident from the Lakers right from the onset of the match.

LeBron James had 7 assists after the first quarter alone which is his season high for assists in any quarter. He finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists. Rajon Rando returned from injury and immediately resumed his playmaking duties, ending the game with 9 assists.

Both the Lakers and the Pelicans play at a high pace. The Lakers made full use of the spaces they got on their offense and made the Pelicans suffer, finishing with 28 assists in total.

The Lakers next host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night.