Stephen Lu/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
LeBron James scored 23 points against the Pelicans.
CNN
—
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 despite Zion Williamson's 40 points to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.
All of the Lakers' starters scored in double figures in Tuesday's play-in game, advancing as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and setting up a playoff meeting with the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
LeBron James, 39, had 23 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks in 41 minutes for the Lakers. D'Angelo Russell had 21 points, and Anthony Davis had 20 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks.
“After the last game, I understood.” [against the Pelicans] “They were going to give us everything they had, like the whole kitchen sink and toolbox, and they did that,” James told TNT Sports in an on-court interview.
“It was a great win for us and earned us a ticket to the postseason.”
The Pelicans have another chance to extend their season when they host the Sacramento Kings on Friday, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the West and a first-round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. .
Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
Anthony Davis heads to the hoop with Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas.
However, New Orleans may be without Williamson, as he missed the game against the Lakers with a left foot injury. Head coach Willie Green later said the star forward would undergo tests to assess the extent of the injury.
“It was hard to watch him go down,” Green told reporters. “We all hope he's OK, but he was fighting. He was going to go, and the team was right there.
“I'm very proud of how that group fought and persevered. We were able to get back into the game by just being physical, keeping opponents out of the paint and being rough. ” Green added. “In the end we didn't come close. That's the disappointing thing.”
The Pelicans made 9 of 30 3-pointers against the Lakers and relied heavily on Williamson's offensive outburst to stay in the game. Behind them, Trey Murphy III scored 12 points and Brandon Ingram added 11 points against his old team as New Orleans tried to avoid consecutive losses to the Lakers.
Jeff Haynes/NBAE/Getty Images
Williamson led the Pelicans vs. Lakers game.
However, despite tying the game at 93-93 with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Williamson was forced to leave the court immediately afterward by slamming a towel in frustration, giving the Lakers a decisive victory. They took the lead for victory.
Going forward, they will be looking to avoid a repeat of last year's playoff loss to the Nuggets. Both teams open a best-of-seven series Saturday night in Denver.
