The Los Angeles Lakers ended their five-game road trip on Saturday with a tilt against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, who had a 10-game losing streak going into the game.
The Lakers held a solid lead for much of the first three quarters, but the momentum shifted at the end of the third period. CJ McCollum scored with 5.2 seconds left, and right afterward, Wenyen Gabriel threw a bad inbound pass that was intercepted by McCollum, which resulted in a 3-pointer by Jose Alvarado.
Los Angeles went from being up by eight points to just three during that sequence, and down the stretch, its defense fell apart, as it gave up 70 points in the second half and lost, 131-126.
It was yet another missed opportunity for the Lakers to gain ground in their pursuit of a Western Conference playoff spot. They’re now two games behind the 10th-place Golden State Warriors, but they’re only 3.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks, who currently hold the fourth spot.