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Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III’s career game no match for Lakers’ unstoppable clutch dominance
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- Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III’s career game no match for Lakers’ unstoppable clutch dominance
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The New Orleans Pelicans watched a special night slip away even as Trey Murphy III caught fire. The shots kept falling. Threes came off movement. Drives came with confidence. The night closed with a career-high 42 points. Yet the Los Angeles Lakers still walked out with the win , and it became a sharp reminder to the Pelicans of what closing really means. Murphy's brilliance was on full display , and the heartbreak came in the same breath.
Every box for a rising star got checked. The stat line told the story: 14-of-26 from the field, 6-of-17 from three, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 39 minutes. During the biggest stretches, he carried the offense and kept New Orleans within reach as the game tilted. It still wasn't enough. When it got tight, the Lakers did what they do best. They closed. They are now 13–0 in clutch games.
The context makes the loss heavier. The Pelicans sit at the bottom of the West at 8–30 and are now on an eight-game losing streak. They had a chance to end it against the Lakers and couldn't finish it . On the other side, the Lakers climbed to No. 3 in the West at 23–11 and looked every bit like a team built for late moments.
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The Lakers' late-game identity holds against the Pelicans
The tone changed in the final minutes. The Lakers slowed the pace. They trusted their veterans. They hunted matchups and valued possessions. It looked methodical. It looked familiar. The Pelicans created shots but missed small details, a rushed look here, a late rotation there. That margin separated joy from frustration.
For New Orleans, this one will linger because the effort was there. The moment was there. Murphy looked like a player ready for bigger stages and louder months ahead. For Los Angeles , the message stayed simple: they don't blink late. They win the fourth quarter. They own tight games.
So now the question hangs for both sides under bright arena lights. Can the Pelicans turn Trey Murphy III 's breakout into momentum — and can anyone stop the Lakers when the game gets close?
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