The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Friday night in what was a must-win game. Afterwards, LeBron James didn't mince words about the Lakers performance.

"The big picture is that it pretty much was a must-win for us, and we didn't get the job done," said James. "We had great opportunities throughout the night, and we didn't make enough plays down the stretch. So that's the big picture."

Los Angeles dropped to 11th in the Western Conference with the loss. They now trail the Pelicans by three games. The Lakers also trail the San Antonio Spurs by a full game for 10th, which is the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. In addition, San Antonio holds the tiebreaker over LA, meaning the Lakers essentially trail by two games.