The Los Angeles Lakers won the most crucial game of the season, and James also used a triple-double performance to help the Lakers retain the eighth position, but Davis's injury and departure laid a hidden danger for the Lakers' playoff journey and even the future of the playoffs. On April 15, 2024, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 124-108. James had 28 points, 11 rebounds, 17 assists and five steals, and Davis had 30 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Lakers, the final game of the regular season is extremely important. If the Lakers lose and the Warriors and Kings win, the Lakers will drop to 10th place in the West and need to win two play-in games to advance to the playoffs. For the Lakers, whose core players are older, this is not a good thing. Therefore, James and Davis all played, and the Lakers are even more bitter about each other, and they are bound to win a victory. Although James didn't score points in the first quarter, he fully connected his teammates on the offensive end, delivering seven assists in a row, leading the Lakers to a 17-7 start. The Pelicans, for their part, expanded the article from the outside, using three-pointers to close the gap. Ingram scored nine straight points in the middle of the first quarter. Fortunately, Davis took advantage of the interior and scored 14 points in a single quarter.
James, who had 8 assists in the first quarter, became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points + 11,000 rebounds + 11,000 assists. To be able to achieve such an achievement also shows that James is still at the top level of competition. James did not give up on offense because of Davis's strength, he used a layup in the second quarter to break his scoring drought, and then steal Zion to assist Russell to hit a three-pointer, leading the Lakers to an 11-2 offensive wave. Jones used a three-pointer to break the Pelicans' scoring deadlock, but James' breakthrough scored again, and then played a 2+1, and the Lakers launched a wave of 14-4 offense, widening the gap to 23 points.
The Lakers have a mental advantage, and the Pelicans are doing their best to catch up with the score, after all, they also want to qualify directly for the playoffs. It's just that in the offensive battle with the Lakers, the Pelicans' too few scoring points still don't have an advantage. Reaves and Russell took turns hitting three-pointers from the outside, and the Lakers extended their lead to 32 points in one fell swoop. McCollum hit a three-pointer, Nance Jr. scored a dunk on a layup, and the Pelicans used an 11-1 offensive wave to close the gap. Davis went off the court early after receiving four fouls, James stepped up and helped the team stabilize the situation with a mid-range shot, and Dinwiddie scored five straight points to give the Lakers a 22-point lead by the end of the third quarter.
The Lakers, who had already taken a huge lead, did not relax in the fourth quarter, James and Davis still maintained a tacit cooperation, and Davis scored 6 points in a row with James's assist, widening the gap to 27 points. After that, Davis returned to the locker room with an injury, and James made it 2+1 under the basket to seal the lead. In the end, the Lakers defeated the Pelicans on the road and rushed to the eighth place in the West.