LeBron has historic night as Lakers beat Pelicans for seventh straight win

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James finished with 34 points and became the first player to score 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs, and the Los Angeles Lakers extended their longest winning streak in four years to seven games with a 136-115 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

Luka Doncic had 30 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who have won 17 of 20 to move into second place in the Western Conference at 39-21. Jaxson Hayes had a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles won its second straight without injured starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.

Zion Williamson scored 37 points for the 14th-place Pelicans, who went 2-2 on an encouraging road trip. Trey Murphy III added 19 points.

James surpassed his latest milestone with a 3-pointer early in the first quarter. Lakers fans gave a standing ovation moments later to James, who acknowledged it with a wave of his hand.

Bronny James played the final 4:01, scoring two points in his first NBA action since Feb. 12.

Takeaways

Pelicans: Williamson was outstanding, going 17 of 23 from the floor and adding six assists. New Orleans will feel good about its offensive performance against the NBA's top defensive team in recent weeks.

Lakers: Almost everything is working. They're 11-2 since acquiring Doncic and 7-2 with the Slovenian superstar in uniform. Four supporting players scored at least eight points in the absences of Hachimura and Reaves.

Key moment

Doncic’s 17 points in the first were his most in a quarter this season. The barrage was highlighted by 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions.

Key stat

James is the only player in NBA history to top 45,000 combined points, let alone 50,000. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second with 44,149.

Up next

The Pelicans host the Rockets on Thursday night, and the Lakers finish a six-game homestand against the Knicks.

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