Lakers' 4th Quarter Rally Praised by NBA Fans as LeBron, Luka Win vs. Zion, Pelicans

The Los Angeles Lakers may be hitting their stride.

Los Angeles extended its winning streak to three with a 110-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in Tuesday's Western Conference showdown at Crypto.com Arena. It is now 37-24 and just 1.5 games behind the third-seeded Houston Rockets from its sixth position.

Luka Dončić spearheaded the effort as the Purple and Gold pulled away in the closing minutes and finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. All five Lakers starters scored in double figures with LeBron James adding 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Pelicans-Lakers Full Highlights

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The balanced offensive effort helped the home team overcome 21 turnovers—12 of which came from Dončić and James—as well as 24 points from Zion Williamson on the other side.

Social media had plenty of reaction to the performance and impressive fourth quarter:

Despite the win, the Lakers trailed by two entering the fourth quarter of what turned into a back-and-forth battle. They also had trouble containing Williamson on the blocks, which helped the Pelicans stay well within striking distance until the final minutes.

However, Dončić shifted into takeover mode just in time.

He turned a two-point Lakers' lead with just more than two minutes remaining to a 10-point advantage with one minute remaining with two free throws, an assist on a Marcus Smart three-pointer and a three-pointer of his own.

Just like that, the turnover issues that plagued him at times were in the rearview mirror as Los Angeles clinched another win as it battles for positioning in the Western Conference.

It was Dončić's third double-double since the All-Star break, although the first two came because of assists.

The Lakers will need him to continue playing at a high level for the stretch run if they are going to avoid the play-in tournament and put themselves in position for a deep postseason run. They are two games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the sixth seed and cutoff position to avoid that play-in but are also right behind the Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Nuggets.

That positioning will take center stage in their next game when they travel to face the Nuggets on Thursday as the first of five times they face Denver, Minnesota and Houston in March.

How Dončić and Co. perform in that stretch will go a long way toward determining the overall postseason outlook.