The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-126, at Smoothie King Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Pelicans (27-27) moved back to .500 and finally snapped their negative run with a strong performance and a comeback win against the Lakers (25-29), though that didn’t look likely considering how the game started. Los Angeles looked in control early going, as LeBron James and Anthony Davis were controlling the pace of the game, and the Lakers grabbed a 32-30 lead following the first quarter, only to bolster that lead to double digits following a 40-31 score in the second quarter. The Lakers tried to keep the momentum going in the second half, but the Pelicans showed signs of mounting a comeback after outscoring their rivals by a 42-34 score, meaning the Lakers were up by just three points entering the final 12 minutes of action. Both teams traded buckets, but in the end, the Pelicans were more accurate and executed better down the stretch. That was enough to lift New Orleans to victory in front of its fans, though one silver lining for the Lakers is that LeBron James keeping moving closer to reaching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record. With the win, the Pelicans moved to 18-9 at home while the Lakers fell to 12-17 on the road.

Brandon Ingram led the way for the Pelicans with 35 points, five rebounds and four assists, while CJ McCollum ended with 23 points, seven assists, two rebounds and two steals. Trey Murphy III notched 21 points and five boards, and Jonas Valanciunas delivered 18 points and 14 rebounds before exiting with an injury in the second half. Jose Alvarado thrived in the second half and finished with 18 points across 24 minutes.

LeBron James ended with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Anthony Davis ended with a team-high 34 points while also putting up 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. No other starter for the Lakers scored in double digits. Russell Westbrook had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench, and Troy Brown posted 13 points with six boards.