Lakers survive Pelicans rally, secure No. 7 seed with play-in win
The Lakers limped to the finish line on Tuesday but got the job done in New Orleans to secure a play-in win and the No. 7 seed.
The Lakers outlasted a frantic Pelicans comeback and a back-and-forth fourth quarter to secure a second-straight win in New Orleans and earn the No. 7 seed, 110-106.
LeBron James had another epic night, scoring 23 points with nine rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks. It was a slow night for Anthony Davis, who scored 20 points on 6-16 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds, though he did knock down a pair of clutch free throws late.
D’Angelo Russell pitched in 21 points and six assists. Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Rui Hachimura's reliability continued with 13 points.
Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince had productive games off the bench. Gabe had his best game as a Laker, scoring nine points and Taurean notched six points with four rebounds.
The Pelicans struck first with a quick four-point lead, which was expected considering how the Lakers struck first in the last game and never looked back. The energy and pace were playoff-level electric as the two sides played back-and-forth basketball.
The Lakers entered a drought, missing six straight shots, and the Pelicans took another four-point lead. They continued to cook offensively, extending their lead to eight at the end of the 1st.
The second quarter began with the Lakers scoring seven straight points, starting with a 3-pointer from Gabe that he followed up with a steal that led to LeBron for a dunk. The Lakers’ energy picked up quite a bit and Gabe knocked down another 3-pointer.
Gabe Vincent's defense continues to be very impactful on the perimeter for the Lakers, and tonight, he's gotten a pair of 3's to fall.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 17, 2024
His last 3 games in terms of +/- even without counting stats:
+13 tonight
+12 vs. NOP (Sunday)
+27 at MEM
LA grabbed a five-point lead after LeBron's pair of layups. When the Lakers start getting serious, they look incredibly determined, which was showing in this quarter with a 13-0 run that helped them extend their lead to 12.
The Pelicans did try to find some life with Zion Williamson making shots, including a buzzer-beater layup to cut the deficit to 10 at halftime.
After dominating NOP in the 2nd with a 34-14 margin, LAL bungled the final 21 seconds, failing to hold on for the last shot (instead turning it over w/4 sec. left) and then reaching in on Zion at midcourt before his eventual layup ahead of the buzzer.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 17, 2024
Nonetheless, LAL up 60-50.
An Austin Reaves three-pointer opened up the second half for LA. Both teams did not necessarily look like they had the same energy as they did in the first half. The lead was extended to 13 with Austin taking over offensively.
The Pelicans struggled to regain their composure which benefited the Lakers. The lead for LA had gotten to as much as 18. Zion was the only Pelican still playing at a high level doing whatever he could to inject some life into his team.
A 7-0 run jumpstarted the Pelicans when they desperately needed it. They were hanging around enough to make the Lakers have to keep working. A 19-8 run helped the Pelicans gain a lot of life to cut it to a seven-point deficit at the end of the third.
Third quarter: Lakers 83, Pelicans 76
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 17, 2024
NOP outscored LA 12-4 over the final 2:59 of the third quarter to get the crowd back into this game. LeBron has 19/5/7. DLo has 15 pts and 6 ast. AD has 10 pts and 11 rebs. LA is potentially 12 minutes away from a rematch with the Nuggets.
The fourth-quarter energy was with the Pelicans, but Gabe again nailed a shot to help stop some momentum. D’Lo then down a much-needed three. It was a nine-point lead for the Lakeshow with the Pelicans still having life.
An incredible three-point shot by Trey Murphy kicked the energy up quite a bit, cutting the deficit to five. Jose Alvarado’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to two, but Austin nailed a floater to take the Lakers lead to four.
It was nervous time for LA as the deficit for the Pelicans was down to two. A dunk for Zion tied the game, but AD answered back with a layup to push the Lakers back to a two-point lead.
With three minutes left, Zion tied the game but then immediately went to the locker room after he was grimacing. The Pelicans had all the momentum, but LA jumped back ahead after a pair of free throws by LeBron. Both teams went back and forth with the lead.
With 50 seconds left, D’Lo hit a wide-open 3-pointer to extend the Lakers lead to four.
AD secured an offensive rebound and knocked down two clutch free throws to put the Lakers up by four with 14 seconds left. A pair of free throws by Austin and then again from AD sealed the win.
Key Takeaways:
The Pelicans hit the Lakers first, which was expected, and the Lakers answered. But LA was extremely careless at the end of quarters in this game. You cannot let the opposing team feel like they have life. Once you grab the big lead, expand on it.
Another game where Lakers fans should be grateful to have such an incredible duo in AD and LeBron. They willed the team to the win.
A very welcomed sight was Gabe not only scoring but also having a huge impact defensively, which will be important in the playoffs.
The Lakers’ next game will be Game 1 on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets at 5:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.