The Los Angeles Lakers around basketball superstar LeBron James won their play-in duel with the New Orleans Pelicans and qualified for the play-offs.
The NBA record champions won on Tuesday evening (local time) with 110:106, secured seventh place in the seeding list and will now face defending champions Denver Nuggets. “We’ve got our ticket to the postseason, that’s a good win,” James told the TV station TNT.
New edition of the Western Conference Finals – Lakers want revenge
Regarding the repeat of the Western Conference Finals from last season, when the Nuggets won clearly, James said: “It’s a difficult test of strength, we have to make it difficult for them. They will make it difficult for us.”
The Pelicans, on the other hand, still have another chance to make the playoffs. On Friday they will face the Sacramento Kings, who surprisingly won 118:94 against the Golden State Warriors with superstar Stephen Curry.
The Lakers were 18 points ahead at one point, but lost control in the final quarter and allowed the Pelicans to equalize with a 19:8 run. Zion Williamson in particular was much more dangerous than on Sunday, when the Lakers clearly won 124:108 in the last game of the main round and Williamson only had twelve points.
His basket to make it 95:95 less than three and a half minutes before the end brought him to 40 points – but then he went to the dressing room in pain and never came back. The Pelicans equalized two more times after that, but were no longer able to take the lead.
With 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, James was the second best shooter of the game, while Anthony Davis had 20 points and 15 rebounds.
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2024-04-17 11:20:25
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