King James does it again! LeBron leads the LA Lakers past the Pelicans and the NBA playoffs – despite Zion Williamson’s 40-point night in his playoff debut
- The Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs
- New Orleans will face the winner of the Kings-Warriors game for the eighth seed
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — LeBron James had 23 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers secured a playoff spot with a 110-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference play-in tournament Tuesday night.
Zion Williamson had 40 points and 11 rebounds in his NBA playoff debut. But shortly after tying the score at 95 on a layup with 3:19 remaining, Williamson went to the locker room, throwing a towel to the ground in disgust as he entered the tunnel with an injury related.
Soon after, James hit a jumper, Anthony Davis dunk Austin Reaves’ alley-oop lob, DeAngelo Russell hit a 3, and Davis grabbed a crucial offensive rebound, after which he hit two free throws to help the Lakers to hold off New Orleans.
Davis had 20 points and 15 rebounds. Russell scored 21, hitting from deep five times.
The Lakers will face defending NBA champion Denver in the first round in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals, which the Nuggets swept. The first match will take place on Saturday evening.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists Tuesday night
Despite 40 points and 11 rebounds, Zion Williamson and the Pelicans lost 110-106.
With this Play-in victory, the Lakers secured the seventh seed and will face the Denver Nuggets.
The Pelicans will face the winner of the other West play-in game between Golden State and Sacramento on Friday.
The Lakers made 14 of 35 from 3-point range. The Pelicans hit 9 of 29 from deep and Williamson didn’t get much help from the Pelicans’ usual top scorers. Brandon Ingram missed 8 of 12 shots and finished with 11 points. CJ McCollum missed 11 of 15 shots and scored nine.
Trey Murphy III scored 12 points, hitting two 3s from beyond 28 feet in the second half to help New Orleans come back to even a deficit of up to 18 points.
The Lakers led 75-57 after Rui Hachimura’s layup in the third quarter. But New Orleans got back in the game by outscoring Los Angeles 19-8 over the final 5:31 of the period.
Williamson sparked the surge with a pair of layups. Murphy hit a 31-foot three-pointer in the final minute of the quarter and Williamson’s free throw made it 83-76 at the end of the period.
Lakers center Anthony Davis had a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds
The Pelicans will face the winner between Golden State and Sacramento for the eighth seed
The Pelicans finally tied it when Williamson hit Jose Alvarado’s alley-oop lob in transition to make it 93 with 3:53 left.
Looking to redeem themselves from a lackluster 128-108 loss to the Lakers in Sunday’s regular-season finale, the Pelicans put together a promising first quarter and took a 34-28 lead on Herb Jones’ 3 .
However, it was one of four 3s — on 16 attempts — that New Orleans made in the first half. The Lakers, meanwhile, went 10 of 20 from deep in the first two periods, with Russell scoring three.
Los Angeles took the lead, outscoring New Orleans 34-16 in the second quarter, leading by as many as 14 after James, who had 15 points in the first half, made two free throws to make the score 58- 44.
Williamson, who had 20 points in the first half, cut New Orleans’ deficit to 10 at halftime with two inside baskets, starting with Ingram finding him on a backside cut for a dunk. In the final seconds of the period, Williamson sprinted the length of the court on a dribble for a layup at the horn that made the score 60-50.
