75-40. That was the shocking score at halftime on Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers took on the New Orleans Pelicans in a matchup that had major implications on the standings out West. Well, the Lakers definitely got the memo and they absolutely poured it on against a hapless Pels side in the first half.
Malik Beasley was the star of the show for LA as he knocked down no less than seven triples in the opening half. Beasley's heroics had him entering Kobe Bryant territory on Tuesday night:
Malik Beasley made 7 3-pointers in the 1st half which is the most in a half by a Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2003 vs the Wizards (8 in 1st half).
The Lakers are also up by 35 points at the half. That's their largest lead in a road game in the shot-clock era. pic.twitter.com/E1sZKW6OQz
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 15, 2023
You know you're doing good things when you're mentioned in the same breath as the late, great Kobe Bryant. This was exactly the case for Beasley on Tuesday as he torched the Pelicans in what turned out to be a whirlwind of an opening half for LA.
As the above tweet indicates, the 35-point lead the Lakers had amassed in the first half is also a franchise record for the team in the shot-clock era. This just goes to show how badly LA decimated New Orleans in the first two quarters of play.
This game is now obviously for the Lakers to lose, and they must do everything they can to hold on to the victory. They entered the game tied with the Pelicans for the No. 9 seed in the West, and a win against their conference rivals will obviously go a long way in LA's quest to secure a postseason spot.
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