Lakers 110, Pelicans 106: Zion Williamson 40 points | Play-in postgame wrap

In the first NBA postseason game of his career, Zion Williamson turned in one of his best performances as a pro, but Los Angeles continued a trend that’s marked nearly every Pelicans-Lakers matchup over the past two seasons, controlling the action for much of the night. Despite Williamson’s huge game and a second-half comeback by New Orleans, Los Angeles held on to win, advancing to the playoffs. Williamson’s 40-point night turned sour late in the fourth quarter, with him leaving the court for the locker room after sustaining an injury. Willie Green later described it as “left leg soreness,” adding that Williamson will undergo testing Wednesday to determine his status. D’Angelo Russell swished a back-breaking three in the final minute, giving the Lakers a four-point lead with 50 seconds left, after the Pelicans had trailed by as many as 18 points.

Zion for 40.
Although play-in games don’t register in the official regular season or playoff statistics, Tuesday was the second-best scoring night of Williamson’s career, behind only a 43-point outing vs. Minnesota in December 2022. Williamson shot 17/27 from the field, finding the cracks in LA’s interior defense for layups and dunks. He also contributed rebounds (11), assists (five), a steal and a block over his 36 minutes of playing time. That total certainly would’ve climbed to 39 minutes, but he had to exit the contest for the final three-ish minutes, firing a towel to the floor in frustration near the home-team bench as he went to the locker room.
Second-half turnaround.
After the Lakers built a double-digit lead in the first half for a second straight game in New Orleans, it started looking bleak for the hosts, but they were able to generate many more vital defensive stops after intermission. The Lakers shot 50 percent from three-point range early Tuesday, after they reached 55 percent from the field Sunday. However, after falling behind 60-50 at halftime Tuesday, the Pelicans held their guests to 23 and 27 points in the latter two quarters, respectively. LA finished at just 42 percent from the floor, but that was boosted by 14/35 three-point accuracy (40 percent).
Bench comes up big.
Trey Murphy nailed deep jumpers, Jose Alvarado scored and dished. Larry Nance Jr. did a little of everything. Those three New Orleans reserves played so well that they all were on the floor in the fourth quarter, as the Pelicans tried to finish a comeback. All three subs contributed double-digit scoring (led by 12 from Murphy), while Nance notched a double-double (12 rebounds, to go with five assists) and Alvarado handed out seven assists with only one turnover. NOLA’s second unit has been a strength all 2023-24 and was again this time.

BY THE NUMBERS

50-41: New Orleans rebounding advantage. The Lakers’ size was a major problem in Sunday’s regular season finale, but the Pelicans had three players post double-digit rebounds in the play-in rematch.
62-36: The Pelicans’ edge in points in the paint Tuesday. That represented a significant reversal from Sunday, when the Lakers rolled to 50 points in the first half alone.
5-0, 2-1: New Orleans records vs. Sacramento and Golden State this season, respectively. One of those teams will be the Pelicans’ Friday opponent in the Blender. The Kings and Warriors tipped off at 9 p.m. Central Tuesday.