The Los Angeles Lakers were swept by the New Orleans Pelicans and will face the Denver Nuggets despite a monster 40-point performance from Zion Williamson.
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- The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament.
- Zion Williamson scored 40 points but was injured late in the game.
In a nail-biting first play-in tournament matchup, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers entered the postseason having secured the 8th seed and the Pelicans were one spot higher at 7th.
The new play-in tournament structure will see the 7th and 8th placed teams face off in a single elimination match to face the 2nd seeded team. In this case, that would be the Denver Nuggets. As the Lakers cement their spot for the upcoming playoffs, let’s take a look back at their recent win over the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson left the game against the Lakers with 3 minutes left in the game
Because it was a high-stakes game for both sides, the atmosphere at the Pelicans-Lakers game was like no other. It was also Zion Williamson’s first trip to the postseason and he made the most of the occasion. For most of the game, Zion seemed to be the only one getting things going and keeping the Pelicans in games.
With 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Williamson hit a clutch jump shot but appeared to land awkwardly and was fouled. He was soon sidelined and was seen heading to the locker room. Considering that the Pelicans star had 40 points, 11 rebounds and 5 a*sists, there’s no denying that his absence hurt the Pelicans in the latter part of the game.
While Pelicans fans expected C.J. McCollum or Brandon Ingram to step up to the occasion, both had relatively quiet performances compared to Williamson. CJ finished the night with 9 points, 6 a*sists and 3 rebounds. Ingram, on the other hand, had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 a*sists. The second leading scorer for the Pelicans in the game was Trey Murphy III with 12 points.
D’Angelo Russell hit a clutch 3 to put the game out of reach for the Pelicans.
Compared to the Pelicans, the Lakers’ Big 3 had a pretty balanced showing. LeBron James had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 a*sists. Anthony Davis had 20 points and 15 rebounds. D’Angelo Russell added 21 points and 7 a*sists. After Williamson left the game, the Lakers took full advantage and built the lead with a clutch 3-pointer by Russell with about a minute left in the game.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis had moments where they struggled but rose to the occasion when it mattered most and helped seal the deal for their team. Now, the Lakers face off against the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of their Western Conference Finals series from last year.