In a game where neither of their superstars shot the ball well from the field, they got outrebounded 50-41, and outscored in the paint 62-36, the Lakers were able to fend off the Pelicans 110-106 through a combination of ball security, timely defense, getting key rebounds, and sinking clutch free throws. The victory punches the team's ticket to the postseason as the 7th seed and a date with the defending champion Denver Nuggets. What a night.
After beating this team just two days prior to force this play-in game in the first place, the Lakers knew they were going to get the Pelicans' best shot and a level of effort befitting a contest of these stakes. And New Orleans lived up those expectations, extending their ball pressure defensively, working hard to take away the paint by crowding the lane, and attacking the paint relentlessly themselves on the other end to get the Lakers back on their heels.
The Lakers were able to absorb that first hit from the Pelicans, however, and recover to find their own game to pull the tug-o-war rope back in their direction. With New Orleans selling out to protect the paint, D'Angelo Russell took center stage for the Lakers offense with sublime shot making from the perimeter. Russell paced the Lakers with 13 of his 21 points in the first quarter, knocking down three triples in the period to keep his team within striking distance and trailing by just eight points heading into the 2nd period.
It was in that quarter, however, where the game started to shift and the Lakers really were able to seize control. After giving up the first basket of the quarter to fall behind by 10, the Lakers proceeded to go on a 12-0 run to take a two-point lead and reset the tenor of the game. The Lakers would go on to win that period 34-16 to turn their once double-digit deficit into a 10-point halftime lead.
LeBron James was great in that quarter and, despite some shooting struggles from the field, was fantastic overall in how he controlled the flow of the game. LeBron scored 12 of his team-high 23 points in that 2nd quarter, racing out for transition baskets and using his physicality to get to the foul line for free throws. And while Bron was just six of 20 from the field on the night, he was 10-10 from the line and often sought out contact via hard drives and pump fakes to earn those free throws and get his team easy points.
In the 3rd quarter the starting group came out ready to build on their momentum from that 2nd period and put the game away, at one point going up by as many as 18 as they were proving too much for the Pelicans to handle on both sides of the floor. But, credit to the Pelicans who rallied back to close the period and then set themselves up for one final push in the 4th quarter to climb back in and steal this game back.
And push they did, with Zion Williamson leading the way. After a disappointing offensive performance on Sunday, Zion bounced back with a vengeance in this game, scoring 40 points on 17-27 shooting from the field on a barrage of paint attacks that few players in the league can match. Bowling his way into the teeth of the defense over and over again, Zion scored in every way imaginable, be it through and over a defender or contorting his body to flip up a shot around them.
With Zion leading the way in the paint and Trey Murphy and Jose Alvarado hitting timely shots from the outside, the Pelicans came all the way back to tie the game with just under four minutes to play. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, however, is shortly after hitting a floater to tie up the game at 95 with 3:19 left in the game, Zion signaled to the bench that he was hurt and needed to come out of the game. Zion then retreated to the Pelicans locker room and did not return.
Despite his absence, however, the Pelicans continued to battle, matching the Lakers bucket for bucket and keeping things close enough to still complete their comeback and get the win. It was not to be, however.
Without the momentum of the game up for grabs, it was the Lakers who again grabbed the reins, this time never to let go, and it was Anthony Davis who led the way. After struggling from the field and never really finding a rhythm the entire night, Davis scored eight of his 20 points in the final 3:29 of the period with two big baskets inside and four clutch three throws.
AD's putbacks were part of four huge offensive rebounds he grabbed in the period, with one of those coming on one of the most critical possessions of the game. Up by just two points and with the ball, LeBron missed a fadeaway up against the shot clock that could have led to the Pelicans getting the ball with a chance to tie the game. Instead, though, while being boxed out, AD reached out his long arm to inhale a rebound he had no business grabbing, drawing a foul in the process, and then sank both free throws to put the Lakers back up by four points with just 15 seconds remaining.
Davis finished the night with 20 points, 15 rebounds (six offensive), three blocks, and a steal on a night in which he was not at his best physically and never could find his rhythm as a scorer.
And with AD doing his best to control the interior, it was D'Angelo Russell who helped ice things from the perimeter to complement his big man who would close things out at the line. Similar to AD's huge rebound, Russell hit a difference-making jumper when he buried a three with just under a minute left in the game to push the Lakers lead from a single point up to four, giving them just enough breathing room to keep New Orleans at bay.
This is the type of hard-fought win that not only reinforces all the hard work put in to close the season on the run they did, but was the type of total team effort that the group can build on heading into the playoffs. The team will return to action on Saturday when they will play the Nuggets for game-one of their first round series.