Three Things to Know: Lakers at Pelicans Play-In Game 4-16-24

After winning in New Orleans to claim the 8th seed in their final game of the regular season, the Lakers will again face off against the Pelicans for the right to get into the playoffs as the 7th seed and a matchup with the Nuggets. The game tips off at 4:30 p.m. on TNT.

Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup.

REGULAR SEASON SUMMARY
The Lakers and Pelicans faced off four times during the regular season, with the Lakers winning the series 3-1. None of the games played were particularly close, with all of the final margins being at least 16-points. Below is a tracking of all the final results:

While the Lakers' current starting lineup has boasted strong individual numbers against New Orleans, they actually only started two of the four games in the season series, with a combination of Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, and Jarred Vanderbilt stepping into starting roles in the first two matchups of the season. Those lineups had their ups and downs, though the group with Prince and Reddish played wonderfully in the IST semifinal game in which the Lakers won big.

Considering the changes in lineups, a key driver of the Lakers overall success was the only two players who started all four games against the Pelicans: LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers superstar duo not offered strong individual production, but they did so efficiently while leading both starting and reserve lineups to winning the shifts they played. Below are both players' stats over the course of the four games:

LeBron and AD offered particular challenges for the Pelicans on both sides of the floor, who simply do not have the personnel to deal with the full variety of skills both the Lakers stars bring to the table. Both LeBron and AD proved too big or strong for the Pelicans' rangier defensive wings and bigs, and too quick or skilled for their stronger more physical defensive answers. And on the other end, both LeBron and AD had the right mix of quickness, strength, and length to disrupt their assignments on the perimeter while also being able to challenge them in the paint.

Add in the Lakers guards' and wings' ability to hit shots at the rate they did -- the Lakers hit 40.9% of their three-pointers vs. New Orleans in those four games -- and it is no wonder that they Lakers were able to control the season series to the extent they did.

STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH
While the Lakers were able to exert advantages in the regular season matchups, a key factor in Tuesday's play-in game will almost certainly revolve around which team can do a better job in their quest to dominate the paint. Both the Pelicans and the Lakers are two of the better rim attacking teams in the league, and the side that can carry that forward best into Tuesday's game has a great chance to put themselves in position to win.

This is an even more acute point after Sunday's regular season finale in which the Lakers outscored the Pelicans 68-42 in the paint, with many of the Lakers baskets coming right at the rim via layups and dunks from LeBron, AD, and Rui Hachimura. After the game, Pelicans head coach Willie Green cited the barrage at the basket as a key to that game, and to Tuesday's.

"They played with a ton of force," Green said. "They came out right away and into that first half, they punched us right in the mouth and they kept going."

When discussing how AD and the Lakers were able to tactically get to the paint as much as they did and, once there, score so successfully, Green highlighted the team's pick-and-roll attack.

"They are really good at the pick-and-rolls, pocket pass, (Anthony) Davis getting behind the defense or catching it," Greed added. "So, it is something that we will look at on film and get back to work tomorrow. We got this team again. So, tough loss for us. We knew what the deal was, they came out, they were the aggressors. When you are the aggressive team, things go your way, and they had us on our heels all game."

Looking ahead to Tuesday's game, Green noted that his team has to "come back with the right mentality" and "be the more physical team" to force the Lakers into contested shots and then to rebound the ball after those teams miss.

On the Lakers defensive side of things, containing Zion and the rest of the Pelicans from getting to and scoring in the paint will also be major challenge. In Sunday's win, the Lakers effectively sagged off Zion to steer him towards taking jumpers or to turn him into a passer. And when Zion did drive, they did their best to contest without fouling, while understanding that he's too good to completely take away at the basket.

It is easy to imagine using this same approach again on Tuesday, while understanding that, per Coach Green, an increase in the Pelicans' own aggression and physicality to force their way to the basket and not settle for as many jumpers could be an adjustment on the horizon. With that, the Lakers must be prepared for a more focused and committed New Orleans group who will test their ability to continue to limit the paint and do so without fouling.

X-FACTORS
With both teams bringing many of the same strengths to the table, an x-factor for both sides will be who's perimeter players can most raise their respective games and which side can effectively create space for those paint attacks by connecting on three pointers.

Beyond the success LeBron and AD vs. the Pelicans, it cannot be overstated how effective both D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves has been against this team and how that effectiveness has helped fuel the big scoring outputs the Lakers have generated against the Pelicans' defense.

In those four regular season games, both Russell and Reaves averaged 21.0 points while combining to make 6.8 three-pointers a game on 14.8 attempts. Both players shot over 45% from distance, a level of shot making that, when combined with LeBron hitting a whopping 60% of his threes, was too much to handle -- especially for a defense already so compromised by the Lakers paint attacks.

Meanwhile, on the other end, the Pelicans outside shooters also did well, but not to a level that completely compensated for the team's relatively less successful assaults on the rim. The Pelicans connected on 38.4% of their threes and got good production from CJ McCollum (42.4% on 8.3 attempts), Herb Jones (50% on five attempts), and Trey Murphy (40% on five attempts), but this was not a volume or, even at the strong rate they did hit, an accuracy, that ovewhelmed the Lakers or forced them into shifting too much of their defensive approach of taking away the paint.

With that, the team that can best leverage their outside shooting and using it as a tool to force the other team to either pay for their coverages or shift their schematic approach entirely has a great chance of taking the upper hand in this game.