LeBron James records 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers clinch a playoff spot with a 110-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
D’Angelo Russell added 21 points for the seventh-place Lakers, who led by as much as 18. Anthony Davis had 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for Los Angeles.
The Lakers will face the defending champions Denver in the first round of the playoffs, with Game 1 on Saturday in Colorado.
New Orleans star Zion Williamson scored 40 points on 17-of-27 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds before exiting with 3:13 left in the game due to an injury. Trey Murphy III added 12 points for the Pelicans, while Brandon Ingram scored 11.
New Orleans will have a second chance to clinch a playoff spot on Friday night. The Pelicans will host the Sacramento Kings, clearly victorious over the Warriors.
The Lakers led by 18 points in the third quarter, but Murphy and Alvarado each made 3-pointers during a 9-0 run that gave the Pelicans a 91-89 lead with 5:41 left in the game.
New Orleans pulled the Lakers at 93 when Alvarado’s alley-oop pass was spiked by Williamson with 3:53 left.
Williamson scored on a running basket 34 seconds later to tie the score at 95, but was injured in the process. He showed his frustration before going to the locker room.
Davis scored the game-tying basket to put the Lakers ahead by two with 1:23 left. Larry Nance Jr. hit two free throws 15 seconds later to put the Pelicans up 101-100. The final split comes with a triple from Russell’s corner 50″ from the siren.
Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Rui Hachimura added 13 for the Lakers, who shot 41.7 percent from the field and produced 14-of-35 (40 percent) from three-point range.
New Orleans made 46.2 percent of its shots, including 9 of 30 (30 percent) from behind the arc. Jose Alvarado, Herbert Jones and Nance added 10 points apiece.
2024-04-16 21:00:49
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