Suffering until the end, LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers got their ticket to the NBA playoffs this Tuesday by winning on the court of the New Orleans Pelicans by 110-106 at the start of the playoffs (‘play in’).
The Lakers, who will be the seventh seed in the Western Conference, will face a new duel in the first round against the Denver Nuggets (2nd).
In the playoffs a year ago, Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-0 in the Western Finals on their way to the first ring in their history.
At 39 years old, LeBron had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists but, exhausted in the final stretch, he left the spotlight to Anthony Davis (20 points and 15 rebounds) and D’Angelo Russell (21 points and 6 assists).
Between all of them, they managed to neutralize the exhibition of Zion Williamson, who had 40 points and 11 rebounds and commanded a comeback from an 18-point deficit with which the Pelicans forced a heart-stopping close.
But Williamson, who was fighting to qualify for his first playoffs, retired to the locker room with three minutes left when the game was tied at 95.
The Lakers took advantage of it to certify the victory with several key actions by Davis and a decisive triple by Russell with 51 seconds left.
The Pelicans will have a second and final chance to advance to the postseason on Friday.
#Suffering #Lakers #ticket #NBA #playoffs
– 2024-04-22 00:44:25
