Just 48 hours since their 124-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the LA Lakers face the same team in the play-in tournament. This will be the 3rd time in 4 seasons that LeBron and co. are trying to make it into the postseason through the play-in tournament. Prior to tonight’s game you will probably encounter a lot of articles saying the Lakers should throw away this game, simply because if they finish 7th they would face the number 2 seeded Denver Nuggets which isn’t an ideal match-up. But is that a risk they are willing to take? Both the Kings and Warriors won their regular season series against LA, so a potential match-up with either team would be tough, with their entire season on the line. Three of the four regular season meetings went the Lakers’ way, including the in-season tournament final in December.
New Orleans doesn’t really care who they face in the playoffs, as long as they make it in. Zion Williamson and co. learned a lot from that defeat on Sunday, I think a different gameplan will be on the cards here as head coach Willie Green tries to nullify all the mistakes made two days ago. Slowing down the tempo would be beneficial, the Lakers ended Sunday’s game with 32 assists, they just thrive when the ball moves fast. In a halfcourt setting I would give a slight edge to the Pelicans, if their defense is on point. The return of Brandon Ingram should also be a spark, he finished with 13 points on Sunday, but once he gets his legs back under him his production should be much better.
