New Orleans couldn’t capitalize on an opportunity Sunday to earn a playoff berth in its final game of the regular season. The Pelicans will now get a second chance to qualify for the Western Conference’s eight-team playoff field Tuesday – against the same opponent, in the same venue. Los Angeles built a lead of 30-plus points and beat New Orleans, dropping the Pelicans to the No. 7 seed in the play-in tournament and pushing Phoenix into the top six. The Lakers will remain in the Crescent City for the next 48 hours and face the Pelicans again Tuesday in the Smoothie King Center. The winner of Tuesday’s game will meet second-seeded Denver in the West quarterfinals, while the loser will face a must-win situation Friday to keep its season alive, against either Sacramento or Golden State.
THREE POINTS
Brutal second quarter.
As magical as Friday’s second period at Golden State was for the Pelicans – who canned 10 three-pointers and outscored the Warriors 45-22 – the opposite took place Sunday vs. LA. The Lakers took control for good on the strength of a 40-29 edge in that quarter, stretching their lead to 17. D’Angelo Russell came out firing in the third quarter, ballooning the margin to as many as 32.
Ingram’s return.
In his first game in 24 days, Brandon Ingram provided some early offense and didn’t look overly rusty while coming back from the March 21 knee injury he sustained at Orlando. The eighth-year forward finished with 13 points on 6/9 shooting, grabbing five rebounds.
CJ still rolling.
CJ McCollum closed out the 11th regular season of his NBA career with a seventh consecutive game of 25-plus points, this time tallying exactly 25 Sunday on 9/19 shooting. He had a case for being the NBA’s best perimeter shooter in the late stages of 2023-24, including sinking 29 three-pointers on the team’s unbeaten four-game road trip.
BY THE NUMBERS
82: Jonas Valanciunas games played this season, becoming just the 11th different player in team history to appear in every contest on an 82-game schedule.
50-12: Lakers staggering first-half advantage over the Pelicans in points in the paint. LA constantly had cutters appear open along the baseline.
19: New Orleans turnovers. Mistakes were particularly costly early in igniting the Lakers' fast start.
Photos: Pelicans vs. Lakers | Game Action 4/14/24
1 / 57NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 14: CJ McCollum #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots over D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game at Smoothie King Center on April 14, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
