The Los Angeles Lakers knew if they won their regular season finale, they would need one more victory to advance to the first round of the NBA playoffs.
LeBron James ensured that L.A. finished as the No. 8 seed. The King finished with a triple-double, putting up 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 17 assists, while Anthony Davis had 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 124-108 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
With the win, L.A. finishes as the No. 8 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference, and as a result, the same two teams will play again in New Orleans on Tuesday in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The winner of that contest will take on the defending champion Denver Nuggets in Round 1 of the playoffs.
The Lakers came storming out of the gate and took command from the opening tip, building up a 70-53 lead at halftime. Although James and Davis led the charge, L.A. got some much-needed secondary scoring. Austin Reaves finished with 20 points, while guard D’Angelo Russell chipped in with 19.
It was a mismatch on the inside, with the Lakers outscoring the Pelicans 68-42 in the paint. L.A. did get an injury scare in the fourth quarter when Davis appeared to tweak his back. He gingerly walked off the court and went to the locker room before the final. The Lakers said they expect Davis to play on Tuesday.
The postseason matchups are now set in the west. The Sacramento Kings will host the Golden State Warriors in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup in the Play-In Tournament. The winner of that game will play the loser of the L.A. vs. New Orleans matchup to advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and take on the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
The L.A. Clippers finished fourth and will play Luka Doncic and the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in Round 1. The Phoenix Suns will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the other series.
The NBA Play-In Tournament concludes on Friday, with the playoffs scheduled to begin on Saturday.