Advance to the playoffs! The Lakers fought the Nuggets again in the first round, James 23+9+9, and Zion's 40-point injury is a pity
On April 17, Beijing time, in the first round of the NBA play-offs, the Lakers narrowly defeated the Pelicans 110-106 on the road, and the team won the play-offs and advanced to the playoffs with the seventh place in the West, and will play against the defending champion Nuggets again in the first round. In this game, James had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, Reaves had 16 points, Davis had 20 points and 15 rebounds, Russell had 21 points, and Zion of the Pelicans had 40 points and 11 rebounds.
The two sides met once in the regular season finale, and the Lakers won comfortably in that game, which also helped them finish eighth in the West, and also left the Pelicans completely out of the top six in the West, and could only play in the play-in tournament. The two sides met again in this game, and the Pelicans were eager to complete their revenge and directly lock up the playoff spot, while the Lakers also hoped to continue the good form of the final game and impact the playoffs.
In this game, the Pelicans played well in the first quarter, the team continued to hit the interior to score, and was able to hit three points on the outside, shooting 14 of 28 offensive performances in a single quarter, of which Zion scored 10 points and 6 rebounds in the first quarter, Ingram and CJ combined to score 9 points, and the Pelicans exploded 34-26 in the first quarter, leading the Lakers by 8 points.
In the second quarter of the game, the Lakers completely ushered in an outbreak, James was in very good shape, hitting the basket three times in a single quarter, and also causing fouls one after another, hitting all 6 free throws at the free throw line, scoring 12 points in a single quarter, and Prince and Vincent became the team's wonders, the two players scored 6 points in a single quarter, and combined to score 12 points, and the Lakers responded with a wave of 34-16 offense in the second quarter, winning by 18 points in a single quarter. At the end of the half, the Lakers had overtaken the Pelicans by 10 points, and the team took the initiative in the game.
In the third quarter, the two teams battled on both offensive and defensive ends, with the Lakers maintaining a lead of about 10 points, while the Pelicans relied on Zion's courageous play on the inside, and they were also trying to close the gap. In the entire third quarter, Zion scored 11 points, Jones, Murphy and Alvarado hit consecutive three-pointers, and the team recovered three points in a single quarter. After the first three quarters of the game, the Pelicans narrowed the gap to seven points.
In the crucial fourth quarter, the Pelicans continued to chase points, and under Zion's leadership, the team tied the score with 3 minutes left in the game, and the two sides fought to a 95-all tie. At the last moment, James hit both free throws, Nance Jr. ate cake under the basket, James made a strong shot and hit it again, Murphy also threw it, Davis also ate cake under the basket, and the Lakers led by 2 points. In the last 1 minute, Russell hit a key three-pointer, CJ scored a jumper, James controlled the time, and then missed the strong attack, but Davis got the rebound, the rebound was fouled, he hit both free throws, the Lakers led by 4 points, CJ broke through the layup and quickly scored two points, and here Reaves hit both free throws, although Nance Jr. scored under the basket, but Davis hit two free throws, the game was decided, the Lakers won the Pelicans in the play-offs, the team successfully advanced to the playoffs, and the first round will play against the Nuggets.