What is the history of the No. 8 seed in the first play-in game?

The Lakers are in the play-in as the eight seed, but what does history tell us about their odds of winning that game?

The Lakers ended the season on a high, relatively speaking, and reached the eighth seed after a blowout win over the Pelicans on Sunday, setting up a rematch two days later in the play-in game.

The Lakers should feel good about their odds of defeating the Pelicans, given their most recent blowout and having beaten this team in three of their four head-to-head games by an average of 25.6 points.

However, what does play-in history tell us about who comes out on top of the seventh-seed versus eight-seed matchup?

Since the NBA adopted the Page–McIntyre system for the play-in back in 2021, the eighth seed has lost five of the six games against the seventh seed. The only victory for the lower seed came last year when the Trae Young-led Atlanta Hawks beat the Miami Heat 116-105.

The reason for this is clear; if you are the higher seed, it usually means you are the better team. In addition, it's a one-game matchup with the seventh seed having homecourt and winning on the road is difficult.

The Lakers have participated in the seven/eight-game twice. Both times, they were the home team and won, beating the Golden State Warriors in 2021 and the Minnesota Timberwolves last year. Can they win this game again, but as the underdog? We'll find out on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

If they win, their reward will be a playoff matchup against the two-seed Denver Nuggets, a team the Lakers have lost to eight games in a row, including a series sweep that ended their playoff run last season in the Western Conference Finals.

If they lose, their postseason won't be over. They'll play the winner of the Kings vs. Warriors game on Friday at home for the eighth seed and a date with the young and unproven Oklahoma City Thunder.

In the five games the No. 8 lost to the No. 7 seed, the No. 8 seed won the elimination game versus the 9/10 winner only twice. This means securing a spot as the eighth seed is an uphill battle no matter how you slice it.

With the Nuggets being defending champions and the Thunder being good but unproven, it's led some fans and even semi-retired writers to argue the Lakers should throw their play in vs. the Pelicans to avoid the Nuggets.

That seems like the biggest spit in the face one could do to the basketball gods and the biggest playing-with-your-food moment in sporting history, but one must remember winning this game is not a foregone conclusion. The Pelicans are a worthy opponent even given the in-season results this year.

The Lakers have had enough trouble stacking up wins as it is and Tuesday's game will present a new set of challenges as they begin their postseason run.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.