The Los Angeles Lakers secured a road win against the New Orleans Pelicans by 110:106 and will now face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
For the second time in three days, the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, securing the #7 seed in the process. This sets up a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals as LeBron James and his teammates prepare to face the Denver Nuggets. They were swept in that series, so they will definitely be motivated to seek revenge this time around.
In the second quarter, the Lakers went on a 13:0 run that propelled them to a 58:44 lead, and they maintained complete control until the beginning of the fourth quarter. Trey Murphy‘s long-range three-pointer bring the Pelicans to 91:85 hinted at a spark in their game, and then Zion Williamson with a series of excellent plays led his team to tie the game at 95:95.
Unfortunately for the hosts, just as he scored his 40th point to tie the game, Williamson suffered an injury and spent the last three minutes in the locker room. The Lakers capitalized on this to regain momentum, with D’Angelo Russell hitting a crucial three-pointer to make it 104:100. The Pelicans missed their last chance to close the gap when they allowed Anthony Davis to grab an offensive rebound with 15 seconds left, leading to him drawing a foul and confirming the victory with two free throws.
James and Davis weren’t particularly effective from long range tonight, but Davis played a crucial defensive role with 15 rebounds in his team’s victory, while James contributed 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Russell and Austin Reaves played good roles, as did Gabe Vincent, who hit some important shots in the first half.
For the Pelicans, Williamson was impressive with 40 points, but no one else made a significant offensive contribution. CJ McCollum shot 4 for 15, and Brandon Ingram scored the same number of field goals on three fewer attempts. The Pelicans will have another chance to secure a spot in the NBA playoffs, playing at home against the loser of the Sacramento Kings-Golden State Warriors game for the #8 seed.