The first game of the play-in tournament was only a four-point loss to the Lakers, showing that the Pelicans are not an underdog, winning and losing only one round. Today, the Pelicans faced a Kings team that was also dominated by young players, and after four quarters of fierce battle, they didn't let the victory go by the way again. In just four days, the Pelicans suffered a narrow defeat and then a narrow victory, and despite the ups and downs, they still achieved the minimum goal set at the beginning of the season, and after successfully entering the playoffs, the Pelicans will face the Thunder in the first round.
The Pelicans beat the Kings 105-98 and had a total of eight ties, with the Kings leading by seven points at the most, the Pelicans leading by 20 points at the most, and the margin at the end of the game was seven points.
Pelicans player stats: Ingram had 24 points, six rebounds and six assists on 10-of-20 shooting, Murphy III had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists on 6-of-12 shooting, Valanciunas had 19 points, 12 rebounds and three assists on 8-of-16 shooting, Marshall had 11 points, six rebounds and two assists on 5-of-11 shooting, Alvarado had 10 points, five rebounds and two assists on 4-of-8 shooting, and Nance Jr. had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists on 6-of-7 shooting.
Kings player stats: Fox had 35 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 12-of-29 shooting, Sabonis had 23 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists on 9-of-14 shooting, Barnes had 17 points, five rebounds and four assists on 6-of-14 shooting, and Mitchell had 10 points, two rebounds and one assist on 4-of-9 shooting.
The absence of Monk and Huerter caused problems for the Kings' rotation, and Fox and Sabonis had to play more than 40 minutes, and although they are young players, it is difficult to maintain the best condition in this high-intensity confrontation, and Fox has a strong desire to attack in the fourth quarter, but his shooting percentage is too low, and he misses one of six three-point shots. Although the Pelicans lacked big man Williamson, head coach Green's rotation was reasonable, and the timeouts and adjustments were timely, and finally the whole team worked together to win this crucial game.
The Pelicans are in seventh place in the West in the regular season, they were squeezed out of the top six by the Suns, and then went through two play-off games to enter the playoffs, the opponent in the first round of the playoffs is the Thunder, and the Thunder is the best team in the West, and it is definitely better in terms of strength, where to watch: 857 Live If you only look at the performance of the whole season, the Thunder will have a higher chance of qualifying. However, the Pelicans have the potential to be a black eight, with Williamson and Ingram both physically gifted players, and with an experienced veteran like McCollum by their side, the depth of the roster is no worse than that of any of the big teams.
This game is the third playoff win in the Pelicans' history, and they have become the only three teams in history to complete three play-off games with the Lakers and Hawks. The team's brutal game has helped them a lot in their development, but the Pelicans are facing serious problems, and fans are most concerned about Williamson's return. According to media reports, Williamson's injury is so serious that we may have watched his final game of the season and he will miss at least a full series. Williamson's MRI showed a strained hamstring muscle in his left leg. Will be checked again in about two weeks.