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Edgar Chaput
Los Angeles Lakers (8) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (7) Play-In Prediction, NBA Odds
And so Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans once again face one of the most important games in franchise history and – again – it comes against the Los Angeles Lakers. On Sunday New Orleans could have avoided this situation altogether by defeating the Lake Show, but the latter thumped them 124-108.
The NBA odds believe the Pelicans will exact revenge, albeit by the skin of their beak as -1.5 favourites.
Lakers (8) vs. Pelicans (7) NBA Betting Odds
For those still unclear about the play-in rules, since this is a 7 vs. 8 matchup, the winner automatically grabs the Western Conference seventh seed and gets the Denver Nuggets in the first round. The loser will have to play the winner of Golden State (10) vs. Sacramento (9) to earn the eighth seed.
For what it’s worth, LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (back) are questionable for Tuesday’s game. Davis’ situation looks a bit more serious since he didn’t even finish Sunday’s contest. Then again, it was a blowout by halftime. The Pelicans have no significant injuries worth signalling.
Davis not playing would hurt the Lakers, although it would not necessarily be a total disaster. LeBron not partaking in the game would be strange. It’s one of those weird scenarios built into the play-in tournament: the Lakers can lose on Tuesday and still have shot at the playoffs. Even so, one would think all 7 vs. 8 play-in teams want to handle their business as efficiently as possible.
The Lakers pounded the Pelicans on Sunday in a game that mattered for both sides and in the In-Season Tournament semifinal back in December. L.A. seems to have New Orleans’ number when it matters most.
Los Angeles Lakers (8)
A few weeks ago this author was asked to formulate an argument as to whether Los Angeles would make the playoffs or not. At the time they weren’t playing great basketball. Lo and behold, they’ve pulled off the exact same trick as a year ago, finding an extra gear during the final weeks of the regular season to finish with a respectable record of 47-35.
Offensively the Lakers have been on a tear, finishing eighth in the NBA with 118.0 points per game. Their field goal efficiency is a blazing 49.9 per cent, largely due to their efficiency in the paint, which is why Davis will be needed. Then again, with D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves playing as well as they have, the club’s three-point firing has greatly improved too, as the team is now eighth at 37.7 per cent. Russell has also become a capable facilitator with 6.3 per match (James still leads with 8.3). L.A. brought Gabe Vincent as a reliable point guard in times of need, and after missing most of the season he’s finally healthy. Rui Hachimura isn’t the most consistent Laker, but when he’s on he’s on.
New Orleans Pelicans (7)
Can New Orleans show neutral observers and more importantly its own fanbase that there is reason for serious optimism? It seems as if every time the Pelicans are about to take off, they remain grounded. It’s either a Zion injury or the club simply underperforms in big moments – what few the franchise has faced.
So, here we go again. The good news is that Brandon Ingram is back from injury. He didn’t look great on Sunday but at least he has a game under his feet after missing several weeks. CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III can get really hot, and Jose Alvarado is a sneaky good offensive weapon to bring off the bench. It’s simple to point out that New Orleans had one of the better defences in the NBA this season (110.7, eighth-best), but it never looks like it when they play the Lakers.
LAL
NO