LeBron James had a near triple-double, Anthony Davis had a monster double-double, and the Los Angeles Lakers outlast Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-106, in the Play-In Tournament to officially clinch their spot in the 2024 NBA Playoffs as the no. 7 seed in the West.
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 17, 2024
The @Lakers take down the Pelicans to clinch the #7 seed in the West! pic.twitter.com/TjgEc4JuXr
The 39-year-old James had 23 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists as the Lakers arranged a rematch against defending champion and second-seed Denver Nuggets in the first round. The Nuggets won last year's Western Conference Finals by sweeping Los Angeles.
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 17, 2024
LeBron: 23 PTS | 9 REB | 9 AST | 3 STL
Russell: 21 PTS | 5 3PM | 6 AST
AD: 20 REB | 15 REB
Reaves: 16 PTS | 5 REB | 6 AST pic.twitter.com/u9ClcpDOaP
Meanwhile, the Pelicans will face the winner of the Golden State/Sacramento 9-10 showdown, with the winner facing the top-seed OKC Thunder.
Davis had 20 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks for another monster game on both ends, including four critical free throws down the stretch to help ice the win for the Lakers.
None bigger than this one.
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2024
He hits 2 FTs to put the Lakers up 4 in the #SoFiPlayIn!
14.8 left on TNT, NOP ball. pic.twitter.com/RgQO5iesg4
D’Angelo Russell added 21 markers built on five triples, none bigger than his clutch corner trey with 51 seconds left to give the Lakers a 104-100 lead.
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2024
CLUTCH. 🥶
Lakers up 4 with 50 seconds left.... #SoFiPlayIn on TNT. pic.twitter.com/BpR8mOYXSZ
Leading 91-80 with 8;33 seconds left in the fourth, the Lakers saw their lead disappear after the Pelicans came roaring back with a 15-4 run to make it 95-all, anchored by Zion Williamson.
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 17, 2024
Williamson had a season-high 40 points, but exited his first NBA postseason game with three minutes left in the fourth with an apparent injury.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 17, 2024
The 2019 top pick already had 31 points through three quarters and scored nine fourth quarter points before leaving the game and was the lone Pelican to crack the 20-point mark.
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 17, 2024
up to 26 PTS on the night pic.twitter.com/0zqvCiDV4s
Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum combined for 20 points, with both having a horrible shooting night with a joint 8-out-of-27 outing.
New Orleans actually built a 36-26 lead early in the second frame but got outscored in that quarter, 34-16, and went on to trail at the half, 60-50. The Lakers led by as many as 18 in the second half, before New Orleans' fourh-quarter comeback set up the tense finish.
