The Los Angeles Lakers took down the New Orleans Pelicans on the final day of the regular season to ensure they would be in the upper half of the NBA Play-In Tournament. Now, they will have to do it again if they want to lock down the seventh seed in the Western Conference and set up a Western Conference Finals rematch with the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been dominant this season against New Orleans as the Lakers went 3-1 this season against them. LeBron averaged 28.3 points and 11.8 assists while shooting a ridiculous 60% from 3-point range in the four games between these teams while Davis completely controlled the paint on Sunday and finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds in the Lakers win. Despite hurting his back at the end of the game, he shouldn’t be limited on Tuesday in a pseudo playoff game for the seventh seed.
Expecting things to be as easy as it was on Sunday would be foolish as New Orleans is certain to make some adjustments in how they deal with the size and physicality of the Lakers. The main thing they will look to do, and the Lakers must prepare for, is getting Zion Williamson going.
Williamson finished with just 12 points, the second time in four games against the Lakers that he was held in check as LeBron took on the challenge of defending him. Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram, playing in his first game in nearly a month, had just 13 points. Trying to re-integrate someone like Ingram this late in the season is a tough task, but the Pelicans will look to figure it out on the fly.
One thing the Lakers must keep up offensively on their end is the ball movement. The Lakers had 32 assists as a team, led by James’ season-high 17 as he regularly found his teammates for wide-open 3-pointers or easy dunks at the rim.
Defensively, the Lakers still had some room for improvement, but one thing they did extremely well was force turnovers. The Lakers got New Orleans to cough it up 19 times, never letting them get into a rhythm and allowing the Lakers to turn those miscues into easy points. Being locked in defensively is an absolute must for this team.
The X-factor for the Lakers in this one could be the play of their backcourt. Austin Reaves has shown he can step up on the biggest stages, but D’Angelo Russell has had his issues in the playoffs and he has been a crucial part of the Lakers’ success this year. The pair combined for eight 3-pointers on Sunday and if those two are clicking, and the Lakers can get a boost from either Spencer Dinwiddie or Gabe Vincent off the bench, it will be impossible for the Pelicans to contain the Lakers offense.
This is a team the Lakers have had the advantage over all year long, but that in no way guarantees a victory this time. The Lakers know what works, but the Pelicans are sure to make some changes to ensure a different outcome.
New Orleans still has plenty of weapons capable of getting hot and if the Lakers aren’t careful someone like Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III could completely change the complexion of this game. The Lakers have yet to lose a Play-In Tournament game yet, and they should be motivated to keep up that perfect record.
Los Angeles Lakers (47-35) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (49-33)
4:30 p.m. PT, Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: TNT
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent
Projected Pelicans Starting Lineup:
PG: C.J. McCollum
SG: Herb Jones
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Jonas Valanciunas
Key Reserves: Jose Alvarado, Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy III, Naji Marshall, Larry Nance Jr.
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