National Basketball Association
L.A. Lakers 136, New Orleans 115
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #77 Karl Lane, #88 Matt Kallio, #34 Kevin Cutler
Attendance: 18997

LeBron James scored 34 points on a milestone night and Luka Doncic added 30 points and 15 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated with a 136-115 victory over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.

With a 3-pointer in the first quarter, James became the first player to reach 50,000 points in regular-season and playoff games combined.

Doncic made his own history, becoming the fourth player in franchise history with at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game, joining Jerry West, Magic Johnson and James.

Jaxson Hayes scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds and rookie Dalton Knecht added 13 points as Los Angeles won its seventh consecutive game despite playing the past three without Rui Hachimura (knee) and the past two without Austin Reaves (calf).

Zion Williamson scored 37 points and Trey Murphy III added 19 for the Pelicans, who had won five of their previous seven games. Jordan Hawkins scored 17 and Kelly Olynyk added 11 for New Orleans, which finished a 2-2 road trip.

The Pelicans were within seven points in the third quarter, but the Lakers soon went on a 14-2 run to take a 94-74 lead with 3:37 remaining in the period. Los Angeles took a 102-84 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Lakers sealed the victory with nine fourth-quarter points from both James and Knecht, and rookie Bronny James got into the mix with a late basket to earn a roar from the crowd.

The Lakers scored 36 points in the first quarter and held a 69-59 lead at halftime after shooting 51.1 percent from the floor. Doncic had 20 points and Hayes had 19 points at the half. The Pelicans trailed despite hitting 52.1 percent of their first-half field-goal attempts, while Williamson tossing in 21 points.

James passed the 50,000-point mark for his career on his first basket of the game, a 3-pointer from the left wing with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter off a pass from Doncic.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
New Orleans   L.A. Lakers
Zion Williamson 37 Scoring LeBron James 34
Zion Williamson 6 Assists Luka Doncic 15
Trey Murphy III 6 Rebounds Jaxson Hayes 10
Trey Murphy III 6 Free Throws Made LeBron James 9
Yves Missi 3 Steals Shake Milton 2
Karlo Matkovic 1 Blocks LeBron James 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New Orleans 115 49.5 9-34 14-21 29 35 3 11 9
L.A. Lakers 136 53.3 19-52 21-27 32 51 5 7 15
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against New York. The Lakers have a W/L % of .684 after a win and .591 after a loss.
  • New Orleans will play their next game at home against Houston. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .412 after a win and .222 after a loss.