New Orleans — LeBron James finished his 21st NBA season strong on both ends of the floor and ready for the playoffs. James had 28 points, 17 assists, 11 rebounds, and five steals as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated New Orleans 124-108 on Sunday to capture the eighth seed in the Western Conference and knock the Pelicans out of the top six.
I just want to win. James, who plays as Zion Williamson's primary defender, said he'll be whatever the game presents. “I'm a Swiss army knife. I must do it all on the floor, but nothing is predetermined.” Anthony Davis scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2012 to set up a conference play-in rematch on Tuesday night in the same stadium.
Davis, who asked out of the game in the final minutes and gently returned to the locker room hurting his lower back, claimed his back “locked up” when he was shoved from behind in the air but that it was “nothing concerning.” “There’s no doubt that I’m going to play” in Tuesday’s play-in game, Davis said. Get massages and treatment—just relax. Just see how I feel in 36 hours and prepare.”
Los Angeles defeated New Orleans 68-42 in the paint because to James' fifth triple-double of the season and his playmaking. “They got whatever they wanted in the paint,” Williamson added. We were dominated in paint. James sought to “read the game and just find my teammates.”
James said, “Just try to put the ball on time and on target for either jump shots or guys at the rim. “Just trying to play efficiently.” James also limited Williamson, who leads the Pelicans with 23 points, to 12 points. "He's beast. It's nearly hard to stop him," James remarked of Williamson. “Just keep a body on him and make it tough on him.”
Meanwhile, Williamson blamed himself for “being too passive.” “I don’t think I was super aggressive the whole game,” he added. The Lakers won eight of their final 11 regular-season games with Austin Reaves scoring 20 and D'Angelo Russell scoring 19.
After a four-game road winning streak and the return of high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans fell short at home while seeking to secure a No. 6 seed and escape the play-in. CJ McCollum scored 23. It was more like the NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal in Las Vegas in December, when the Lakers beat the Pelicans 133-89.
They punched us right in the mouth and kept going,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We lost a great chance.” Ingram scored 13 points after missing 12 games with a left knee injury. Herb Jones scored 18 for New Orleans.
After Ingram's 3-pointer drew the Pelicans within 28-24 in the first quarter, the Lakers proceeded to the foul line due to an odd call. Official John Goble said Los Angeles was wrongly denied free throws on the Pelicans' second foul in the last two minutes. Taurean Prince made both.
Prince's driving layup opened the second quarter for the Lakers at 32-24. A reverse layup by James started a 9-0 run to make it 41-26. While New Orleans missed 14 of its first 19 from deep, the Lakers grabbed lengthy rebounds and scored in transition.
Reaves' 3-pointer and breakaway slam gave the Lakers their first 20-point advantage at 53-33. Another Reaves 3 made 70-53. The Lakers led 83-57 after Reaves' 3 and Russell's two 3-pointers and Davis' cutting slam. Russell 3 extended the Lakers' advantage to 91-59. “We’ve got to regroup as a team because we’re here,” Williamson added. “We didn't win, but we're confident.
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