EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Everything looked so great for the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James was on fire. Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk were supplying plenty of points. The Lakers led by 20 at halftime, their biggest edge this season through two quarters.

But victory couldn’t be secured Sunday as the Lakers dropped their biggest game so far this season, 116-108, to the New Orleans Pelicans.

If it felt familiar to Lakers fans, it was understandable. Their team has made a habit of losing far more often than expected with this current group.

The Lakers dropped to 10th place in the Western Conference and are suddenly on the precipice of not qualifying for the play-in tournament. They led 11th place San Antonio by only one game. Only the top 10 teams in each conference play beyond the regular season.

It was practically a double loss for the Lakers, who also dropped the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Pelicans. The teams play again Friday in LA, but the Pelicans will win the season series by virtue of their current 2-0 lead.

Making matters worse, James had another stellar game but sprained his left ankle in the second quarter after stepping on Jaxson Hayes’ foot while pursuing an offensive rebound.

“I have no idea how I finished the game, to be honest with you,” James said. “It’s pretty nasty. It’s pretty horrible right now. Just got to get treatment around the clock.”

James had another stellar game — 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists — but the Lakers fell to 31-43 this season.

“This game hurts,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “It’s a big game, but we have to regroup…and find a way to get some wins down the stretch. Time’s running out on us.”

Time obviously ran out on them Sunday.

Rookie Trey Murphy III almost single-handedly brought the Pelicans back with 16 points in the third quarter as New Orleans stuck 41 points on the Lakers in the quarter.

“They raised their level in the third quarter on both sides of the ball,” Vogel said. “They were able to get the game back under control.”

Then the Lakers’ offense sagged in the fourth quarter and scored only 14 points.

“The ball stopped moving,” said Monk, who finished with 23 points and six assists.

The Lakers looked unstoppable in the first half, leading by 23 before taking a huge lead into the locker room as James scored 25 points, while Westbrook and Monk each added 12.

The Lakers don’t have any easy ways out of their predicament. They play in Dallas on Tuesday and in Utah on Thursday. It’s not clear if James will be able to play in either.

“Honestly, I don’t have an answer for you,” Westbrook said of the Lakers’ struggles Sunday. “I wish I did. No answer.”