Lakers to play Nuggets in first round after play-in win over Pelicans

The Lakers survived a late rally against the Pelicans on Tuesday to win the play-in, secure the No. 7 seed and set up a rematch with the Nuggets in the playoffs.

The Lakers are set for another meeting against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, for better or for worse, following a 110-106 win over the Pelicans on Tuesday in the play-in game. The victory on the road in New Orleans secured the team the No. 7 seed.

Despite winning their way into the playoffs and becoming just the second No. 8 seed to beat a No. 7 seed in the play-in game, the Lakers will now be rewarded with a series against the team that most has their number. Dating back to 2022 and including the postseason, Denver has won eight straight games over the purple and gold.

The Lakers had a wild ending to the season, losing and gaining control of their destiny in the final week of the season. After a gut-punch loss to the Warriors, the Lakers were given a lifeline with Golden State and Sacramento losing in the final weekend.

A win over the Pelicans on the final day sealed their spot in the No. 8 seed and in the first play-in game. The win by the Lakers and a win by the Suns elsewhere on Sunday meant the two teams were destined for a rematch in New Orleans.

The Lakers looked set to run away with things in the play-in game in New Orleans on Tuesday. After a back-and-forth start to the game, the Lakers built up a nearly 20-point lead in the middle stages.

New Orleans, though, put together a wild rally in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Los Angeles had an answer for every Pelican basket and hung on for the victory.

With the win, the Lakers are now set for a rematch with the team that swept them out of the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals this season. While it may have been a close series when looking at game-by-game results, every game this season has followed a similar pattern; a close game for 45 minutes before Denver pulls away in the closing stages.

Nonetheless, that didn’t deter the Lakers, wholly unsurprisingly, from attempting to win Tuesday’s game and not opting to tempt the Basketball Gods by losing the first play-in game, winning the second and entering the playoffs as the No. 8 seed with a more favorable path.

The first game of the series will be on Saturday in Denver at 5:30 PM PT.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.