SUMMARY
- The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament.
- Zion Williamson scored 40 points but got injured towards the end of the game.
In a nail-biting finish to the first play-in tournament matchup, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers entered the postseason after having secured the 8th seed and the Pelicans were one spot higher at 7th.
The new play-in tournament structure involves the 7th and 8th-positioned teams facing off for a single elimination matchup in order to face the 2nd-seeded team. In this case, that would be the Denver Nuggets. As the Lakers cement their spot for the upcoming playoffs, let us take a closer look at their recent win against the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson left the game against the Lakers with 3 minutes left in the game
Since this was a high-stakes game for both sides, the atmosphere heading into the Pelicans-Lakers game was like no other. This was also Zion Williamson’s first trip to the postseason and he made the most of the occasion. For the majority of the game, Zion appeared to be the only one who had things going and was keeping the Pelicans in the game.
D’Angelo Russell hit a clutch 3 to put the game out of reach for the Pelicans
In comparison to the Pelicans, the Lakers’ big 3 put up quite a balanced show. LeBron James scored 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. Anthony Davis had 20 points and 15 rebounds. D’Angelo Russell added 21 points and 7 assists. After Williamson left the game, the Lakers took full advantage of the situation and managed to create a lead thanks to a clutch 3-pointer made by Russell with around a minute left in the game.