Lakers Beat Pelicans in 7/8 Play-In Tournament Game
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are officially headed back to the playoffs.
It started slow, then got dicey late, but the Lakers hit their free throws down the stretch and withstood a huge final push from the Pelicans to survive the first Play-In Tournament game of the 2024 postseason and win by a score 110-106.
Who's next for the Lakers? That would be the defending champion Denver Nuggets, the team that dispatched LeBron James' Lakers in four games in the Western Conference Finals last season then swept them again in the regular season this year.
Denver's dominance over the Lakers led many pundits to suggest that Los Angeles might consider tanking the Tuesday night Play-In Tournament game — a ludicrous suggestion for any number of reasons, chief among them the players involved and the math of purposely putting yourself in a one-off elimination game.
Now the Lakers will play the Nuggets again whether they like it or not — at least for four more games.
The Pelicans came out strong and led by double digits early in the second quarter, but that quarter was when Los Angeles flipped the script and took hold of the game. Lakers role players hit a barrage of 3s, 10-of-20 in the first half alone, and LA led by 10 at the half.
It looked like the game was a wrap until Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado caught fire late.
Williamson was absolutely spectacular, his 40 points the second-most ever in a postseason debut, as he repeatedly sliced right through the Lakers defense and finished with aplomb at the rim. He finished with 40 points, 11 boards and five assists but also left with a few minutes remaining with an undisclosed injury.
That's obviously a huge question mark for New Orleans, which is now playing for its life Friday night in the final Play-In Tournament game. The Pelicans have lost six straight home games, each of which would have clinched a spot in the playoff bracket. If that number hits seven, it will be a long offseason.
It might be anyway. Alvarado was great as he sparked the Pelicans with energy on both ends of the court, but it was notable that the entire New Orleans push late came with both Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum on the bench, and rightfully so, given the way the five guys on the floor were playing. It's even more telling that Ingram still didn't get back on the court even when Williamson left hurt.
That's not just a story for the offseason — it will carry over into Friday rotations, especially if Williamson is limited or even out with his injury history.
As for the Lakers, they survived relative off nights from both Anthony Davis and James — who went a combined 12-of-36 from the floor — thanks to outstanding shooting, both behind the arc and at the line. Five Lakers made at least two 3s, with D'Angelo Russell hitting five, and the Lakers lived at the line like they always do as they hit their free throws by going 26-of-29.
Difficult Part Begins Now vs. Nuggets
Now the real playoffs begin for James and the Lakers.
And if the last eight games against the Nuggets are any indication, they may not last long.
The Lakers have lost eight straight to the Nuggets, which marks just the 16th time in the history of the franchise they've had a losing streak this long against any opponent. And these aren't just any losses.
Half of the eight came in an ignominious sweep right out of the playoffs in a Western Conference Finals that showed just how big the gap was between the Lakers and the eventual champions. There was a lot of talk about that series being the most competitive sweep ever, but a sweep is a sweep by any other name.
Davis dropped 40 points in Game 1 but was inconsistent the rest of the series. Russell came and went and ended up benched by the end of the series, and his replacement, Dennis Schröder, is now off the roster. LeBron did LeBron stuff, but the Lakers couldn't find any answers defensively for Denver. Nikola Jokic averaged 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists, and Jamal Murray added 32.5 points per game of his own.
Every game felt like a repeat of the last.
A spirited competition, back and forth. LeBron and Jokic exchanging blows. Murray hitting a barrage of shots. One or two new Lakers role players showing up each nights.
And then the Nuggets casually going on another late run to pull away from the Lakers and put them away for good, like it was never even a question in the first place.
It's a story we've seen plenty of, both in the NBA Finals and again all this season, so it's not like the Lakers are alone. However, this isn't a story LeBron James is used to being on the wrong side of, and it's a narrative he'd certainly like to change post haste.
That's probably why the Lakers talked their talk all summer about the competitive sweep — four losses by a combined 28 points — but then we got to opening night.
And what happened? The Lakers hung around, LeBron did his thing, and Joker and the Nuggets smiled, took a few body blows then slammed the door late.
Fast forward four months. It's 2/8/24 — Kobe night.
The Lakers unveiled the legend's statue, went punch for punch with the champs for three quarters… and Jokic and the Nuggets delivered another knockout blow yet again.
Do you even need a reminder of what happened in the most recent matchup? You do the math.
Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell have been poor in the matchups again this season. Jokic and Murray have dominated.
The Nuggets own the Lakers right now. There's a reason the idea of tanking a game to make the playoffs was even a conversation, as silly as it was.
That conversation is over now, and so is the quest to make the playoffs. The Lakers are in.
Now the hard part begins.
Via DraftKings, the Lakers are +250 to win the series while the Nuggets are -310 to advance to the second round. The Nuggets also opened as 7.5-point favorites to win Game 1, while Denver is also -130 at -1.5 games on the series spread as the Lakers are +110 at +1.5 games on the other side.
