LeBron James delivers a pair of ‘muffler’ threes to lift the Lakers over the Pelicans

It is one of the great mysteries of the NBA, why a team like The Lakers can look so competitive one night and then lost 24 hours later.

“Play harder” can be at the core of any coaching message, any player’s desire, and for some reason it doesn’t matter.

Some nights, and especially on ones like Saturday in New Orleans, teams just don’t have it.

And whether the sneakers look like they’re made of concrete or the jerseys are made of lead, these teams are still trying to win.

LeBron James have done it before. On Saturday, he did it again, helping his team steal one 104-99 win.

“I mean, it’s LeBron,” the Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht said. “… We should get out of the way and let him do LeBron.”

James hit back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter — capping the second with his signature “muffler” celebration — while stomping his feet in exclamation points. Max Christie, who got off to a surprising start because of injuries, sealed the win by stealing an extra possession from the Lakers in the final seconds.

The Lakers have won five in a row.

“Just living in the moment, still being able to play and make big shots at this point in my career,” James said. “This is what you live for. You’ll never be able to get those moments back once you’re done.”

Moments like the ones James had when the Lakers were fired up and recovered from the emotional highs of Friday’s win against the Spurs are hard to come by. Fatigue, while not an excuse, is real. Focus fades. Legs feel heavy.

“It’s really hard to win a game in this league,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said he told his players Saturday morning. “It’s really hard to win on the road in this league and it takes effort and toughness.”

And in games like this, where New Orleans was missing so much from its roster, it strangely requires more.

Facing a Pelicans team so fired up that only three players in their pregame hype video actually played, the Lakers (9-4) already faced a threat to their competitive focus.

Read more: LeBron James scores career first and Anthony Davis scores 40 in thrilling Lakers win

Then the game started and the worst possible scenario unfolded.

The Lakers looked like they were trudging through the swamp—they were slow on rebounds, slow on rotations and, uncharacteristically, a mess on offense.

James coughed up the ball. Anthony Davis causing it to spurt through his normally safe hands. And Austin Reavesstanding wide open in the corner, shot a three that hit the side of the backboard.

“AR shot one from the side of the backboard wide open. It never happens like that, you know what I’m saying?” Davis said. “We had some good looks. Missed some bunnies around the rim.”

The malaise allowed New Orleans (4-10), playing the night before (albeit at home), to build a 15-point lead despite being without Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy and Jose Alvarado.

The Lakers, winning and looking sharp in San Antonio in NBA Cup play, still hadn’t Rui Hachimura due to an ankle injury. Cam Reddish, who had helped the Lakers go undefeated since his move to the starting five, was also unable to play because of ankle and thumb injuries.

But Knecht, making his second start of the season, fired the Lakers back into the game in the third quarter, sparking the team’s competitiveness and effort. Knecht finished with 27 points.

Read more: What motivates the Lakers in their pursuit of the NBA Cup title? ‘I mean $500,000 is $500,000’

And despite their own 10-point lead, James and the Lakers did enough late to end this quick road trip 2-0. James finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, and Davis had 31 points and 14 rebounds.

The Lakers’ energy should be in a better place Tuesday when they continue their NBA Cup schedule at home against Utah.

“When you’re not feeling as much as you want to be, you lean on your next guy next to you. And I think we all did,” James said. “We all lean on the next guy next to us. And that’s how we could get it as a unit, because you can’t do it on your own. You can’t do it yourself.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.