On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 in the Western Conference play-in tournament, with LeBron James scoring 23 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds to secure a playoff spot.
Zion Williamson scored 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his NBA postseason debut. However, immediately after tying the game at 95 on a driving layup with 3:19 remaining, Williamson headed to the locker room, tossing a towel on the court in frustration as he walked into the tunnel with an apparent injury.
Soon after, LeBron James scored a jumper, Anthony Davis dunked Austin Reaves' alley-oop pass, DeAngelo Russell hit a three, and Davis grabbed a vital offensive rebound before hitting two free throws to help the Lakers fend off the Pelicans. Davis recorded 20 points and 15 rebounds. Russell scored 21 points, including five three-pointers.
e New Orleans Pelicans will face the winner of Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings
The Lakers made 14 of 35 3-pointers. The Pelicans shot 9 of 29 from beyond, and Williamson didn't get any support from the team's normal strong scorers. Brandon Ingram missed 8 of 12 shots and finished with 11 points. CJ McCollum missed 11 of 15 attempts and scored nine points. To help the New Orleans Pelicans cut the gap of 18 points Trey Murphy III scored 12 points which included two three-pointers from beyond 28 feet in the second half. By the end of the third quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers were in the lead by 75-57 following Rui Hachimura scoring points. But New Orleans rallied, outscoring Los Angeles 19-8 in the last 5:31 of the period.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers will meet defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first round, a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals, in which Denver Nuggets won. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday night. On Friday, the New Orleans Pelicans will face the winner of the other Western Conference play-in game between Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.