Getty Anthony Davis of the Lakers.
It will be a reunion of sorts as the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers (27-7) welcome the New Orleans Pelicans (11-23) to Staples Center on Friday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV Stick, or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
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AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) offers six different channel bundles. They range from 45 to 125 live TV channels, and they all include ESPN. The “Plus” and “Max” bundles come with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for AT&T TV Now, you can watch a live stream of Pelicans vs Lakers on your computer via the AT&T TV Now website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other compatible streaming device via the AT&T TV app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your AT&T TV Now credentials.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV Now — no matter what channel package you choose — comes with included cloud DVR.
Sling TV
Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” package comes with 32 channels, including ESPN. It costs $20 for the first month ($30 per month after that), which makes Sling the cheapest streaming service with the ESPN channels if you plan on keeping it long term:
Or, as part of a special deal that Sling is currently offering, you can get a free Amazon Fire TV Stick if you prepay for two months:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Pelicans vs Lakers live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your Sling credentials.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes with 10 hours of cloud DVR storage.
Hulu With Live TV
ESPN is included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch a live stream of Pelicans vs Lakers on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your Hulu credentials.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
Pelicans vs Lakers Preview
The Lakers will welcome some familiar faces back to their home building when the Pelicans come to town, having sent a large chunk of their roster to the New Orleans in the offseason for star forward Anthony Davis.
Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram all were draft picks of the Lakers and will be making their first trip back to Staples Center.
Ingram has been particularly impressive this season and has turned it on of late. He was named NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week award after a stretch over the last three games where he’s averaged just over 27 points per game. He also led the way with 31 points as the Pelicans upset the Nuggets on Christmas Day, 112-110.
“He’s our best player,” Lonzo Ball told reporters this week. “He’s been showing it all year. He finally got the award because we finally won some games for him. Hopefully we can keep going.
“He gets better every year,” Ball added. “He stays in the gym. I think he’s become more of a leader. He’s talking a lot more. I’m just excited to see what he has in the future.”
The Lakers have got back on track after a four game losing streak, winning their last three, but their latest triumph against the Phoenix Suns wasn’t easy.
They opened up a 36 points lead on the struggling Suns, but found themselves only down single-digits in the fourth quarter. They still managed to pull out a 117-107 win.
“When you have a big lead at half, the advantage is sometimes not always you,” Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma said. “The advantage is the other team, because they can come out and play free and just come out swinging and play with nothing to lose. That’s what they kinda did, and got the game back.”
The situation forced the Lakers starters back into the game after it seemed like they’d get the fourth quarter off.
“It was good that we got the win but we can’t allow ourselves to fall into a trap like that,” Davis said. “The team plays hard, they’re going to continue to play hard like any other team in the NBA. You give them any type of confidence, the Basketball Gods start turning.”
The Lakers are a 10.5-point favorite for the game. The Lakers won the first matchup of the season 114-110 in New Orleans.