Lakers turn to defense in fourth quarter to beat Pelicans

LOS ANGELES — The last thing anyone would call this iteration of the Lakers is a good defensive team.

They have a defensive rating of 116 on the season, placing them 22nd in the NBA. Progress in this department has been minimal at best.

But against the Pelicans, the Lakers’ defense came up big.

Trailing by one entering the fourth and with their offense struggling, the Lakers needed their defense to help them flip this game.

The Lakers did just that as the Pelicans went 7-20 from the field in the final period and LA got the 110-101 victory. But it took a coalition of the willing for Los Angeles to shut down New Orleans.

With 7:24 left in the game, the Lakers were down seven and defensive stops were a necessity.

Zion Williams went barreling into the paint, more than willing to take on Jaxson Hayes. However, the Laker big not only held his ground but rejected the shot attempt, leading to free throws for LeBron James on the other end.

A couple of possessions later, Hayes once again got the better of Zion, drawing a charge. Then Hayes forced an airball from Murphy, leading to a 3-pointer from Austin Reaves to regain the lead.

The defensive showcase wasn’t over, though.

Hayes kept on successfully contesting Pelicans shots as Dončić and Reaves cleaned up the glass and Marcus Smart did everything but work the concession stand in the fourth quarter. He grabbed loose balls, forced turnovers and found a streaking LeBron for another highlight play for the King.

“I thought Smart was incredible tonight,” Redick said postgame. “Him and Jackson [Hayes] in the second half, when we got him back in the game defensively as well, really they helped us win the game. They changed the game.”

When it was all said and done, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run and entered clutch time with a one-possession lead.

They continued to execute on defense, forcing Zion to miss back-to-back shots. And, after a dazzling corner 3-pointer by Smart, who made the basket despite being tripped by Williams, it was clear that LA wasn’t going to lose this game.

It wasn’t a pretty game, and the Pelicans are far from a contender, but the Lakers using their defense to grind out a March win is an indicator that they may be beginning to progress in that department at the perfect time.

“I think we’ve made some strides defensively,” LeBron said. “We didn’t play much at all in zone tonight. We started the game out with it. We kind of went away from it. I thought the man-to-man defense was pretty good. Jaxson [Hayes] and Marcus [Smart] were great on that end and then everybody else trickled in as well.”

Things won’t get any easier for the purple and gold.

LA is set to play six of its next eight games against winning teams. With how tight the Western Conference standings are, their performance in these games could make or break their season.

But they now have another example they can point to which demonstrates that, when the will is there to shut down a team, they can do it.

“Nights like this can change the trajectory for teams and players,” Smart said. “Hopefully, this win and tonight in the way, the fashion that we won it, kicks our confidence up. And, we can keep this alive and going because the way we played tonight and the way we played over the last two games, it’s something that we know we’re capable of.“

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.