In a twist of fate, the New Orleans Pelicans will face the Los Angeles Lakers again after failing to clinch a top-six playoff spot in their regular-season finale on Sunday. This critical encounter will occur in New Orleans during the NBA play-in round on Tuesday.
This match-up sees the No. 7 seed Pelicans, who finished the season with a record of 49-33, take on the No. 8 seed Lakers, who closed their campaign at 47-35.
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The stakes are high, as the winner will secure a spot in the Western Conference playoffs against the second-seeded Denver Nuggets. The team that falls will have another chance to advance, facing either the Golden State Warriors or the Sacramento Kings later in the week.
The Lakers, who dominated the Pelicans 124-108 in their recent meeting, will stay in New Orleans for this crucial contest. This season, Los Angeles has shown superiority over New Orleans, winning three of their four matchups, including a resounding 44-point victory in December.
Despite the Lakers’ recent dominance, LeBron James remains wary of the rematch. “Tuesday’s game is going to be extremely hard, extremely difficult, extremely physical,” James remarked. He emphasized the mental challenge of overcoming a team with time to stew over a previous loss and return stronger.
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Pelicans coach Willie Green is aware of his team’s uphill battle. “They were the aggressors. We have to be the aggressive team,” Green stated. He emphasized his team’s need to ramp up their physicality, protect the paint, and contest every shot.
In their latest clash, LeBron James was in fine form, posting a triple-double with 28 points, 17 assists, and 11 rebounds, alongside five steals. Anthony Davis also impressed with 30 points and 11 rebounds before exiting with back spasms. Davis, however, is determined to play against his former team, insisting he will be ready for the rematch.
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The Pelicans saw the return of forward Brandon Ingram, who had been sidelined for 12 games. Ingram managed 13 points in return and is expected to play more significant minutes in the upcoming match. CJ McCollum has been a bright spot for the Pelicans, consistently scoring above 25 points in recent games, including 25 points in the Sunday match-up.
Despite the loss, McCollum remains optimistic. “We didn’t play well enough to win,” he acknowledged, but he assured the team is poised for improvement: “We will be better in the next game.”
As both teams prepare for Tuesday’s critical showdown, the Pelicans aim to leverage their home-court advantage and reverse their recent misfortunes against the formidable Lakers.
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