Shooting woes send the Lakers to a 104-87 loss to the Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans 104, Lakers 87 (final)

Coach Byron Scott made a lineup change, but the Lakers didn’t look much improved on Sunday night, falling to the Pelicans by 17 points.

Starting point guard Ronnie Price and power forward Ed Davis for Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer, Scott hoped the team would improve defensively. The issue, however, for most of the night was on the offensive end.

The Lakers shot just 40% from the floor and 26.3% (5 of 19) from three-point range. Kobe Bryant finished with just 14 points on six-of-18 shooting (33.3%).

New Orleans converted 51.8% of their shots from the field, but earlier in the game, when they were closer to 40%, the Lakers could only muster roughly 25%.

As a starter, Price scored only three points with three assists. Davis added 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Boozer and Lin matched Davis and Price with 12 and three points, respectively.

Nick Young also had an off night, missing 10 of 13 shots, scoring 13 points in 24 minutes.

Anthony Davis was game’s leading scorers with 23 points, making 11 of 15 shots. Jrue Holiday added 22 points with eight assists. Tyreke Evans and Ryan Anderson scored 11 apiece.

The Lakers were badly outworked on the boards (50-34). The Pelicans had 28 assists to the Lakers’ 18.

Both teams each converted 10 of 15 free throws. The only statistic that jumps out as a win for the Lakers was their seven turnovers compared to 16 for the Pelicans.

The Lakers (5-16) next host the Sacramento Kings (10-10) on Tuesday night. New Orleans (9-10) returns home to play the New York Knicks (4-17), also on Tuesday.

Pelicans 79, Lakers 59 (end of third quarter)

The Lakers’ fortunes did not improve in third quarter, falling behind by 20 points to the Pelicans.

Jrue Holiday scored 20 points for New Orleans. Anthony Davis added 15 points while Ryan Anderson contributed 11 points off the bench.

The Lakers continued to struggle offensively, hitting only 35.6% from the field. Kobe Bryant scored 14, but made just six of 17 attempts. Nick Young shot two for 10. Jeremy Lin, coming off the bench, had three points on one-of-four shooting.

Meanwhile the Pelicans shot 48.4% from the field and 50% (8 of 16).

Pelicans 50, Lakers 40 (halftime)

The Lakers lost ground in the second quarter, falling behind by 10 points to the Pelicans.

Jrue Holiday led all scorers with 12 points in 17 minutes. Anthony Davis added nine points, as did reserve Ryan Anderson. New Orleans shot 43.2% from the field in the first half.

The Lakers had a difficult time getting the ball in the basket, shooting 33.3% from the field and 11.1% (1 of 9) from three-point range.

Wesley Johnson led the Laker with 10. Kobe Bryant scored eight.

New Orleans had a 32-23 rebounding advantage. The Lakers turned the ball over only two times (Pelicans had eight).

Pelicans 22, Lakers 16 (end of first quarter)

After taking a brief three-point lead, the Lakers fell flat against the Pelicans.

New Orleans pushed ahead by nine, with eight points from Anthony Davis and five from Jrue Holiday, before the Lakers closed the gap to six.

Kobe Bryant leads the Lakers with four points. Jeremy Lin and Ronnie Price added three apiece as the Lakers shot only 25% from the field.

The Pelicans shot 40.9%, low enough for the Lakers to stay within reach despite their poor shooting.

Pregame

The Lakers (5-15) finish a three-game road trip on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans (8-10).

After the Lakers’ loss on Friday to the Boston Celtics, Coach Byron Scott vowed to make changes to his starting lineup -- moving Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin to the bench for Ed Davis and Ronnie Price.

The Pelicans beat the Lakers 109-102 in New Orleans in mid-November. They’ll play without Eric Gordon (shoulder).

The Lakers are still own Xavier Henry (Achilles), Ryan Kelly (hamstring), Steve Nash (back) and Julius Randle (leg).

For an in-depth breakdown, check out Preview: Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans.

Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.