On April 17, Beijing time, the Lakers played away against the Pelicans, and the Lakers successfully defeated the Pelicans 110-106 at the end of the game. Although the Lakers once led by 18 points in this game, the Lakers still experienced a lot of twists and turns in the game, especially in the second half of the game The Pelicans once had a chance to overtake, but unfortunately with Zion's injury the Pelicans were unable to recover, and finally the Lakers entered the playoffs in the seventh position in the West, it should be said that it is a pity that the Pelicans lost the game, and what makes the Pelicans even more uncomfortable is that Zion's injury is not optimistic, and now according to the name Shams, Pelicans star Zion suffered a left hamstring injury, Zion has such an injury, and it will be difficult for the Pelicans to beat the King next。
Russell is still quite controversial this season, especially in the last few games of the regular season, Russell also had a crotch pull again, seeing this situation, many fans also ridiculed Russell for entering the playoff mode in advance, but in the last regular season game Russell performed well, and now Russell has become a big contributor in the play-offs of this game, if it is not for Russell's attack and defense at a critical moment, then the Lakers may not have the last laugh. Russell played 37 minutes in this game, shooting 7-of-14 from the field, 5-of-11 from three-point range, and 2-of-2 from the free throw line to finish with 21 points, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. According to statistics, in the regular season this season, the Lakers have a 16-1 record in games where Russell hit at least five three-pointers in a single game (17-1 if this game is included).
It can be seen that Russell is the key to the Lakers' victory, and this is Russell's three-point state, if Russell can hit enough three-pointers in the game, then the Lakers can undoubtedly win more games, and now that the Lakers meet the Nuggets again in the playoffs, Russell has become even more critical. The reason why the Lakers were swept out of the Nuggets in the playoffs last season still has a huge relationship with Russell's downturn, after all, Russell was completely restricted by Brown at that time, and the defensive end was blown up, Russell's poor offense made the Lakers very passive, so the Lakers were also swept out by the Nuggets, but now Russell is obviously better integrated into the Lakers, and Russell's three-point shooting is getting better and better.
Speaking about the first-round game against the Nuggets, James said: "If we play at our best and they play at their best, then the outcome of the game will depend on 1-2 rounds to see who can execute the game better. It can be seen that James also told the truth, although the Lakers were swept out by the Nuggets last season, but the gap between the two teams is not so unbridgeable, the two teams played very close in the game, but the Lakers always have problems at critical moments, so if the Lakers can hold on to the game, then the Lakers still have a certain chance to win. However, if the Lakers want to defeat the Nuggets, they will also face three major problems, the first problem is the Lakers' rebounding problem, between the two teams, the Nuggets obviously have a physical advantage, at this time whether the Lakers can protect the rebounding ball is very critical, otherwise the Lakers will play very passive in the game.
The second problem is the Lakers' three-point problem, despite the struggles at the beginning of the season, the Lakers are now in good three-point form, but the Lakers will also shoot badly in some games, and in the face of a strong team like the Nuggets, if the Lakers' three-point state is in question, then the Lakers' probability of winning will be greatly reduced. The third problem is James's physical strength, the current Lakers are still very dependent on James, and James still has enough influence at this age, but the current James does have problems with physical strength, and now in the face of a fierce rival like the Nuggets, James must go all out, and James can resist at that time is also the key to whether the Lakers can win.