Doncic put on a game-high 35 points with team-mate Austin Reaves adding 30, while James scored 27 points with eight assists in a 124-108 win.
The Lakers bounced back from defeat against the Golden State Warriors to further boost their hopes of a top-four finish in the Western Conference.
It is the sixth successive win for the Lakers over the Pelicans, including three victories this season.
Elsewhere, Western Conference leaders the Oklahoma City Thunder, who host the Lakers in back-to-back games on Sunday and Tuesday, saw an 11-game winning streak ended against the Houston Rockets.
Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 65 points to triumph 125-111 in Houston.
The Boston Celtics set a new record for the number of three-pointers scored in a single season during their 123-103 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Boston, the defending NBA champions, scored 14 at TD Garden to take their overall tally to 1,370, eclipsing the previous record of 1,363 set by the Golden State Warriors in 2022-23.
