LeBron scores 40 as Lakers thwart Pelicans' comeback bid

LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers dropped the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 118-109 on Tuesday night. Anthony Davis had 21 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks for the Lakers, who won their sixth in a row. Danny Green contributed 17 points, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 points. James also had eight rebounds and six assists.

Brandon Ingram, who was among the Lakers dealt in the trade for Davis, had 34 points and seven rebounds for the Pelicans, who are 0-3 against the Lakers this season. Rookie sensation Zion Williamson, in his first contest against the Lakers, finished with 29 points and six boards, while Jrue Holiday had 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

After trailing by nine with just over five minutes left in the game, the Pelicans pulled within 108-104 after a dunk by Williamson with 3:59 left. However, a jumper by Green and two buckets by James put the Lakers up 114-104 with 2:55 remaining. Two free throws by Williamson sliced the deficit to eight, but Green buried a 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds left to seal the win for the Lakers.

In the second quarter, Williamson's two foul shots gave the Pelicans the lead at 39-38, but the Lakers went on a 20-7 run for a 58-46 advantage after a 3-pointer by Green with 4:02 left. However, the Pelicans cut the margin to 64-58 at the break.

Ingram led all scorers with 18 first-half points, while Williamson had 17. James, who had 16 points in the third, scored 11 straight points early in the quarter for a 75-61 Los Angeles edge. However, New Orleans answered with a 19-4 surge after a dunk by Derrick Favors for an 80-79 lead with 3:49 remaining in the quarter.

The two teams exchanged leads before Caldwell-Pope's driving layup with three seconds left in the quarter gave the Lakers an 88-86 lead heading into the fourth. Markieff Morris made his Lakers debut. Morris, who was picked up Sunday by the Lakers after being waived by the Detroit Pistons, had four points in 15 minutes.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)