Lakers, Pelicans clash in play-in
LeBron James bids to extend his 21st NBA campaign on Tuesday when his Los Angeles Lakers open the NBA play-in tournament against the New Orleans Pelicans, the winner then playing the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers closed the regular season with a solid win over the Pelicans on Sunday.
James said the Lakers can’t afford a let-down against a Pelicans team eager to turn the tables.
“They’re going to be extremely ready for us, and we have to come in with the same sense of urgency,” James, who at 39 remains a formidable force in the league, said.
The losing team will get one more chance to reach the playoffs, taking on the winning team from Tuesday’s game between the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings and 10th-placed Golden State Warriors for a first-round meeting with Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City.
Last season the Lakers came through the play-in to reach the Western Conference finals, where they were swept by Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
The Miami Heat did even better out of the play-in, earning the East eighth seed and reaching the finals where they also succumbed to Denver.
The Heat will be trying to retrace that path when they travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday to play the 76ers – the winner booking a firstround meeting with Eastern Conference second seeds the New York Knicks.
“We’ve had some great battles with (Miami),” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “I always expect that versus them.”
The loser of that game plays the winner of Wednesday’s Atlanta-Chicago contest for the eighth playoff berth in the East and a first-round meeting with the top-seeded Boston Celtics.