Doncic, Ayton and Reaves lead the Lakers past the Pelicans 118-104 to improve to 2-0 in NBA Cup play

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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.

Deandre Ayton made 10 of 11 shots and finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and a block for the Lakers, who improved to 2-0 in cup play to remain atop West Group B.

Trey Murphy III scored 35 for the Pelicans, who lost their fourth straight game, fell to 0-2 in the in-season tournament, and to a Western Conference-worst 2-10 overall.

Rui Hachimura scored 14 and Marcus Smart 13 for the Lakers, who led 65-52 at halftime after Doncic fed Ayton for an alley-oop dunk.

Doncic, Ayton and Reaves all scored during an 11-0 third quarter run that pushed Los Angeles' lead to 88-66, a surged capped by Reaves' 16-foot driving floater as he was fouled by Jose Alvarado.

The Pelicans briefly trimmed the Lakers' lead to eight when Alvarado and Saddiq Bey hit back-to-back 3s to make it 96-88 with more than eight minutes left.

Doncic hit a 12-foot fade and Reaves, who was 11 of 13 on free throws, hit five late foul shots — along with a 13-foot pullup — to help Los Angeles keep New Orleans at bay.

Murphy surpassed 34 points for the second time in four games for New Orleans. Jeremiah Fears had 19 points and eight steals, and Herb Jones scored 13, Bey scored 11 and Derik Queen grabbed 10 rebounds.

Both teams played without their biggest stars. The Lakers' LeBron James is still working his way back from a preseason bout with sciatica and the Pelicans' Zion Williamson remained sidelined by a recent left hamstring strain.

Lakers: Visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Pelicans: Host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) goes to the basket over Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) in the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) goes to the basket past New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) in the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (2) goes to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) in the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) goes to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans forward Kevon Looney (55) in the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) leaps for a rebound against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — Getting ready for the holiday season has never been stressful for Christel Dauwe — after all, her holiday period lasts all year long in her Christmas ornament shop in the Belgian city of Antwerp.

Her collecting began in her teenage years, and she now has more than 64,000 ornaments in her personal collection and another 18,000 displayed in her shop, the Christel Dauwe Collection.

“My personal wish is to have a Christmas museum, where ornaments and the idea of Christmas can be on permanent display,” she told The Associated Press. But until that day comes, her small shop uses every corner to display its vast inventory.

Its wares include birds of every feather, fruit arrangements, cars, angels, snowmen and other figurines, ranging from a few euros for a wood laser-cut Cathedral of Antwerp to more than 500 euros ($580) for a special ornament of Alexander the Great on horseback.

The store began 35 years ago as an antiques shop, selling a few ornaments on the side, but Dauwe wanted to try selling more.

On the suggestion of a Polish au pair, Dauwe and her husband traveled to Poland and found a factory that could produce exactly the ornaments she wanted. The only catch was that 200 pieces of each design had to be ordered at a time.

They returned home deflated.

“After second thoughts though, we decided to order 20 shapes of 200 each, and one day they arrived -- all 4,000 of them. We gave some away and the rest we put in the shop and, well … That’s the story from there,” she said.

The original Polish factory still supplies many of the shop’s ornaments, in addition to 32 other European companies.

“There is an ornament here for everyone. We’ve had people come in who say they have a new pet or even a new car and we try to match an ornament to them. In the end the goal is not to have some kind of posh tree decorated all with the same colors and Christmas balls. The goal of ornaments is to make you smile,″ she said.

Some ornaments are more personal. And one year there was an ornament of Christel herself, designed by her husband as a surprise.

She’s been asked to provide ornaments for weddings and other events as well.

As far as having Christmas all year round, Dauwe says she is never bored with it. Twice a year she goes around the shop and dusts each ornament individually. She has met people from all over the world, and entertains die-hard locals who stop into the store just for a morning chat.

“There are two ways to go with Christmas. It’s either the nostalgia of the past or the hope for the future,″ she said. ″Hope is what is the most important to me. It’s what keeps you going.”

Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, shows an ornament of the Horse Bayard, a folkloric Belgian event, at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, takes a holiday ornament out of a display case at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A holiday ornament of a British phone cabin hangs on a shelf in the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Holiday ornaments are seen through the window of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, wraps boxes of holiday ornaments at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)