The boos showering the court when LeBron James handled the basketball left little doubt that fans in New Orleans suspect the Lakers star had something to do with why the Pelicans are cutting the playing time of All-Star Anthony Davis - and sitting him out entirely when possible.
James, however, was far more concerned about the performance of his own team-mates to worry about playing the pantomime villain.
Jrue Holiday hit five three-pointers and scored 27 points while Davis watched from the bench in street clothes as the Pelicans beat the Lakers 128-115 on Saturday night to stunt Los Angeles' playoff push.
LeBron James wore a look of frustration as the Los Angeles Lakers' play-off bid took a knock
The Lakers were beaten 128-115 by an organised New Orleans Pelicans side on Saturday night
Anthony Davis, who has been linked with the Lakers, interestingly watched on from court-side
'That urgency has to be there and we dug ourselves a hole,' said James, whose Lakers are three-and-a-half games out of a play-off spot in the Western Conference.
'It's how you approach the game every day, how you think the game every day. It's how you play the game, prepare for the game. It's not even like when you get to the arena. It's like way before that,' James added. 'It's the most important thing in your life at this time.'
Brandon Ingram scored 29 points for the Lakers, but LeBron and Co struggled throughout to keep pace with the Pelicans, who led most of the game and by as many as 20 points.
Pelicans' Jrue Holiday (right) was a standout on the night as he recorded five three-pointers
Julius Randle (left) and Ian Clark (right) also got in on the action as the Lakers struggled
Former Laker Julius Randle had 24 points for the Pelicans.
'It's not personal because there are players and coaches over there that I have a great relationship with, but to get a win against old teammates is always cool,' Randle said. '
James was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos by a crowd that included a conspicuous number of fans wearing
