Lakers and Pelicans Set for Quick Play-In Rematch
The Los Angeles Lakers take on the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center in a Western Conference Play-In Game on Tuesday night.
The Lakers (47-35) concluded the regular season on a strong stretch of play that saw them prevail in 11 of their last 14 games to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Their most recent victory came Sunday afternoon against this same Pelicans team in the form of a 124-108 win.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 30 points, complementing them with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. LeBron James generated a 28-point, 17-assist, 11-rebound triple-double that included five steals and one block. Austin Reaves supplied 20 points, two assists, one rebound, one steal and one block. D'Angelo Russell delivered 19 points, four assists, one rebound, one steal and one block. Rui Hachimura tallied 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Lakers will list James (ankle) as probable and Davis (back) as questionable for Tuesday's game. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee) will remain out.
The Pelicans (49-33) endured some inconsistency down the stretch of what was a solid season overall, as they followed a four-game losing streak with four consecutive wins before concluding the campaign with Sunday's defeat to Los Angeles to fall from the No. 6 to the No. 7 seed. Against the Lakers, CJ McCollum paced the Pelicans with 25 points, supplementing them with seven assists and four rebounds. Herbert Jones registered 18 points, five boards, one assist and two steals. Larry Nance Jr. and the returning Brandon Ingram produced matching 13-point efforts while also recording six and five rebounds, respectively. Nance added four assists. Zion Williamson finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Trey Murphy compiled 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
The Pelicans will come into Tuesday's game without any injuries to report.
Tuesday's game marks the fifth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Lakers hold a 3-1 lead.
The Lakers (47-35) concluded the regular season on a strong stretch of play that saw them prevail in 11 of their last 14 games to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Their most recent victory came Sunday afternoon against this same Pelicans team in the form of a 124-108 win.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 30 points, complementing them with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. LeBron James generated a 28-point, 17-assist, 11-rebound triple-double that included five steals and one block. Austin Reaves supplied 20 points, two assists, one rebound, one steal and one block. D'Angelo Russell delivered 19 points, four assists, one rebound, one steal and one block. Rui Hachimura tallied 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Lakers will list James (ankle) as probable and Davis (back) as questionable for Tuesday's game. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee) will remain out.
The Pelicans (49-33) endured some inconsistency down the stretch of what was a solid season overall, as they followed a four-game losing streak with four consecutive wins before concluding the campaign with Sunday's defeat to Los Angeles to fall from the No. 6 to the No. 7 seed. Against the Lakers, CJ McCollum paced the Pelicans with 25 points, supplementing them with seven assists and four rebounds. Herbert Jones registered 18 points, five boards, one assist and two steals. Larry Nance Jr. and the returning Brandon Ingram produced matching 13-point efforts while also recording six and five rebounds, respectively. Nance added four assists. Zion Williamson finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Trey Murphy compiled 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
The Pelicans will come into Tuesday's game without any injuries to report.
Tuesday's game marks the fifth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Lakers hold a 3-1 lead.
Kings Host Warriors in 9-10 Play-In Game
The Sacramento Kings play host to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Play-In Tournament at Golden One Center on Tuesday.
This is an elimination game for both teams. The winner will face the loser of the Suns-Lakers matchup to see who advances as the eight-seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors (46-36) finished the season as strongly as any team in the NBA, winning 10 of their final 12 games. It's amazing they needed that run to finish 10th in the West, showing just how deep this conference can be. What's scary about this team is the pedigree because they still have all the pieces from the championship team over recent years. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green aren't the same guys we saw in the past, but they're a group no one wants to see in must-win games.
The Kings (46-36) slid their way into the postseason, losing five of their final seven games. This stretch has been going on much longer than that, though, posting a 13-13 record across their last 26 games. The defense has really let them down in that stretch, ranked 23rd in the NBA. What's also been a huge loss is the Malik Monk knee injury. He's going to win Sixth Man of the Year, and this team has desperately been missing his scoring and playmaking off of the bench.
These teams played four times in the regular season, splitting those four matchups. With that said, Golden State has won 10 of their last 13 regular season games over Sacramento, which doesn't even include the Warriors seven-game series win in last year's postseason.
This is an elimination game for both teams. The winner will face the loser of the Suns-Lakers matchup to see who advances as the eight-seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors (46-36) finished the season as strongly as any team in the NBA, winning 10 of their final 12 games. It's amazing they needed that run to finish 10th in the West, showing just how deep this conference can be. What's scary about this team is the pedigree because they still have all the pieces from the championship team over recent years. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green aren't the same guys we saw in the past, but they're a group no one wants to see in must-win games.
The Kings (46-36) slid their way into the postseason, losing five of their final seven games. This stretch has been going on much longer than that, though, posting a 13-13 record across their last 26 games. The defense has really let them down in that stretch, ranked 23rd in the NBA. What's also been a huge loss is the Malik Monk knee injury. He's going to win Sixth Man of the Year, and this team has desperately been missing his scoring and playmaking off of the bench.
These teams played four times in the regular season, splitting those four matchups. With that said, Golden State has won 10 of their last 13 regular season games over Sacramento, which doesn't even include the Warriors seven-game series win in last year's postseason.