METTA World Peace turned back the clock in his possible swan song in Los Angeles to lead the Lakers to victory and dealing the fifth straight loss of the New Orleans Pelicans, 108-96, on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time) at the Staples Center.
World Peace did most of his damage on offense in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his team-high 18 points including three triples, to lead the Lakers in pulling away to its fifth win in a row in what could possibly be his final home game as a Laker
The 17-year vet hasn’t made any retirement plans, but displayed a thrilling outing that had the Staples Center crowd and his teammates cheering and chanting his name as he scored all his points after the break.
The Lakers led by as much as 17 before the Pelicans managed to come as close as 10 the rest of the way.
Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram tallied 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who are assured of the third worst record in the league despite a late season resurgence. This means more pingpong balls for them in the NBA Draft lottery, but will lose their first-round selection to Philadelphia if they don’t end up with any of the top three picks in the upcoming draft.
Cheick Diallo led the Pelicans, without Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jrue Holiday and Alexis Ajinca had 14 points apiece.
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