The Lakers (46-35) pulled out a win that was more difficult than expected at Memphis on Friday night, and also got some help in the standings with the Warriors and Kings both losing tight games, setting up the Lakers for a chance to secure the No. 8 seed if they can beat New Orleans (49-32) on Sunday afternoon. The game tips at 12:30 p.m. PT on Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum SportsNet+ and ESPN (available nationally, but not locally).
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Here are the standings after a huge night in the NBA on Friday, with the Lakers beating Memphis, New Orleans beating Golden State and Phoenix beating Sacramento, as LAL moved from 10th to 8th:
6) New Orleans (49-32): vs. LAL
7) Phoenix (48-33): @ MIN
8) Lakers (46-35): @ NOP
9) Kings (45-36): vs. POR
10) Warriors (45-36): vs. UTA
IF: LAL 1-0
THEN: LAL No. 8 seed
IF: LAL 0-1
THEN: GSW* 0-1; SAC 0-1;
*BOTH SAC and GSW own tiebreaker over LAL
More detail:
- LAL win, and they are the No. 8 seed. They’d play NOP if PHX wins at MIN (PHX 6, NOP 7, LAL 8), and PHX if PHX loses (NOP 6, PHX 7, LAL 8).
- If LAL lose, they’re the No. 10 seed if GSW and SAC both win at home. GSW (vs. UTA) and SAC (vs. POR) will be heavily favored. This would set up a 3-way tie, which LAL lose based on the 3-way H2H2H totals, to drop to No. 10. LAL would then play at No. 9 GSW, as SAC wins the 3-way tie (SAC 8, GSW 9, LAL 10).
- If LAL lose, GSW lose and SAC wins: SAC 8, LAL 9, GSW 10.
- If LAL lose, GSW win and SAC lose: GSW 8, LAL 9, SAC 10.
PELICANS MATCHUP
The fourth and final meeting between the Lakers and Pelicans can be informed by the previous three, including two Lakers wins, and one NOP victory.
The first matchup came with high stakes, the In-Season Tournament Semifinal, which ended up being one of L.A.’s best performances of the season.
While the Pelicans trailed by only one after the first quarter, LAL blew off their doors from the second quarter on, racing to a 133-89 final score that showed off the power of LeBron and AD plus a cast of supportive talent playing impressively. The Lakers outscored NOP by 14 in the 2nd Q, before a 43-17 storming in the third quarter. LeBron scored 30 points with eight assists and no turnovers in three quarters of work, while Davis again controlled the paint on both sides of the basketball, amassing 15 boards, two blocks, two steals and five assists. Austin Reaves, then coming off the bench, added 17 points, plus seven assists.
That would end up being New Orleans’ 2nd-least efficient game of the season as they managed just 86.4 points per 100 possessions. They would pick it up on offense in the next two meetings, including a 129-109 home victory on Dec. 31 in which the Pels seemed determined to show that they were better than the team that LAL pounded on Dec. 7. New Orleans scored 42 points in the 1st Q, and the Lakers were on a highly-difficult tail end of a back-to-back in which they were all the way up the Mississippi River in Minnesota on the previous evening.
New Orleans scored efficiently again in the third meeting, a total of 124.9 points per 100 possessions including their Dec. 31 victory, but they had trouble handling L.A.’s offense in a 139-122 blowout that featured a ridiculous 51-point 3rd quarter for the Lakers. All five Lakers starters scored at least 20 points, led by 30 from D’Angelo Russell, and 27 from Austin Reaves.
However, the Pelicans have picked up their defense in the past few weeks, and should put up a more stiff fight, even as the Lakers do seem to have a good mix of inside and outside attacks to challenge New Orleans.
ZION’S IMPROVEMENT
Back in the IST Semis, Zion Williamson took a look of heat after he was held to just 13 points in 26 minutes against the Lakers. LeBron took on part of the defensive challenge, as one of the few NBA players strong enough to stay with Zion physically, with AD awaiting Williamson at the rim.
Zion has steadily ticked up his production since December, though, posting these totals:
December: 20.4 ppg, 4.3 apg
January: 21.0 ppg, 4.3 apg
February: 23.9 ppg, 6.5 apg
March: 24.1 ppg, 4.8 apg
April: 25.5 ppg, 4.8 apg
Zion has played 34.5 minutes per game in the six April games, after managing just 29.6 mpg in December. Meanwhile, his usage rate is 33.4% in April, a season-high, which ranks 4th amongst players averaging 30 minutes per game, via StatFactor.
The former No. 1 overall pick continues to take nearly all of his shots in the paint: 96.9% of his attempts come near the rim. In fact, he’s taken 1,081 FGA’s this season, and only 33 are outside the paint, including a made triple against Golden State on Friday.
Thanks to the combination of Davis, LeBron and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers are one of the few NBA teams that have three players with the combination of strength and athleticism to bother Zion. Nonetheless, he still managed 26 points and six assists in the NOP win, and 30 points with five assists in the February loss, as he upped his production in each game.
With Brandon Ingram set to return for his first game in a few weeks due to a knee hyperextension, how the Lakers handle Zion may prove to go a long way towards the result.