LeBron James and the Lakers sneak into NBA playoffs with win over New Orleans

LeBron James can never be assumed to be defeated. In his 21st year in the NBA, and after having won the first NBA Cup, the basketball legend has used his veteran experience to lead his team to new playoffs. The Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (110-106) on Tuesday. The Pelicans now face possible elimination: the team must defeat the Sacramento Kings on Friday, or their 2023-2024 season is over.

The Lakers now begin an upward path towards the championship. The team’s next challenge is defending champions the Denver Nuggets, known for their star player Nikola Jokić. It will be a repeat of last year’s Western Conference final, when Denver completed a 4-0 Western Conference championship over Los Angeles.

The Pelicans were hoping to reach their ninth playoffs. They fell short despite coming close. Zion Williamson, the 23-year-old power forward, tied the game with less than four minutes left on the clock. His team had been trailing since the second quarter, but Williamson balanced the score with a spectacular alley-oop dunk assisted by point guard Jose Alvarado.

New Orleans was unlucky. It lost Williamson in the final minutes of the game to an injury. The number one pick in the 2019 draft left the court visibly frustrated. He had scored 40 points, shooting 17-of-27 from the field. It was his best game since December 2022. Willie Green, the New Orleans coach, replaced the star power forward with CJ McCollum, always a reliable player, but who performed modestly on Tuesday, scoring nine points in 30 minutes of play.

Williams — who has been heavily criticized in the past for his weight — has finished the season in great physical shape. The first quarter was marked by his speed attack: the former Duke player crossed the entire court to shoot a basket over Davis and James, just as the halftime bell rang. Despite losing 12 kilos during the season, there were a couple of moments where he overwhelmed LeBron with his nearly 120 kilos of muscle.

The Lakers won their sixth away game, a streak to be reckoned with as the team embarks on the trip to Denver. “They’re going to make it tough on [us], and we’re going to try to make it tough on them,” said James, who is already thinking about the rematch with Jokić. The Lakers will rest on Wednesday, when the play-in to qualify for the Eastern Conference takes place, and will then start preparing for the first round of the playoffs.

As usual, James was once again the Lakers’ top scorer on Tuesday, with 23 points. He was followed by D’Angelo Russell (21), who scored five triples, and Anthony Davis, with 20 points and 15 rebounds, who was decisive throughout the match thanks to his effectiveness from the free-throw line. He hit eight out of 10 free throws.

The Lakers finished eighth in the Western Conference. Thanks to their top players, they defeat the No. 7 team and advanced to the playoffs. There was doubt on Monday over whether Davis would play, as he had suffered back pain after Sunday’s game against the Pelicans, in what was the last game of the regular season. On Tuesday afternoon, Davis received the green light to play against New Orleans, which was his team for seven seasons.

The second quarter was decisive for the Lakers. Their defense was key to preventing the home team from extending their lead from the first quarter (34-26). By scoring inside the perimeter, the Lakers made it difficult for the Pelicans to hit mid-range shots, with the shot clock running down at one point. Rui Hachimura also prevailed in his personal battle against Brandon Ingram, a former Laker, who scored 11 points.

All five Los Angeles starters recorded double figures, while New Orleans needed a lot of help from the bench, especially from Larry Nance Jr. and Trey Murphy III, to close the gap in the fourth quarter. The Lakers’ offensive machinery was clear in the second quarter, where they overwhelmed the Pelicans in a four-minute streak that added 13 points to the score.

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