Los Angeles Lakers rookie Adou Thiero admitted it was a 'great feeling' to get his first points and appreciated his teammates celebrating it.

Austin Reaves scored 31, Luka Doncic had 24 points and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 118-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in an NBA Cup game.

Heading into this season, there was hope the Lakers could take a big leap forward. They had a full training camp with young superstar Luka Doncic, and it was year two for head coach JJ Redick. After finishing with a 50-32 record last season, there was reason for real optimism.

After the game, several Lakers players tried to grab the game ball to hand to Thiero to commemorate his NBA debut. While officials originally turned them down, Giannis Antetokounmpo took matters into his own hands and got the ball for Thiero:

Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers will face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday at Fiserv Forum at 8 ET on NBA TV.

The Lakers fell in the latest USA TODAY Sports power rankings, moving from second to sixth in Week 3. The Lakers had previously started the season ranked 11th.

Austin Reaves scored 31, Luka Doncic had 24 points and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 118-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.

The New Orleans Pelicans are still early on in their coaching search, but a handful of notable names have already been linked to the team.

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Austin Reaves made fun of the new LeBron James-Bronny James dynamic that has unfolded.