Lakers fall to Pelicans for 5th straight loss despite returns of LeBron, AD

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their fifth straight game with a 114-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night despite the returns of Anthony Davis and LeBron James from injury.

Davis, 29, finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds after missing 18 games with a foot injury. James, 37, poured in 38 points along with eight rebounds after a two-game absence with an ankle sprain.

The Lakers went 4-14 with Davis sidelined, falling to 11th place and out of the Western Conference play-in picture. L.A. now sits a full game behind the San Antonio Spurs for the 10th seed and final play-in spot in the Western Conference. The Spurs also own the tiebreaker.

CJ McCollum contributed a team-high 32 points for the Pelicans. Jonas Valanciunas finished with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Brandon Ingram tallied 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

"We understood the magnitude of this game. We were up 2-0 in the season series and wanted to get up 3-0, give them a loss," McCollum said postgame, according to Pelicans team writer Jim Eichenhofer. "We've got a lot of young dogs, guys who are fearless and aren't afraid of the moment. They stepped up big tonight."

Despite suiting up in only 37 games this season, Davis has been a focal point of L.A.'s offense, averaging 23.1 points per game on 53.7% shooting from the field - the best mark of his career.

Los Angeles suffered double-digit losses in both games James missed and is 1-8 without him this season.

The Lakers have five regular-season games remaining to make up ground in the play-in race. Two of those matchups are against a pair of the West's top teams - the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors - while two others are against Nikola Jokic and the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets.