Has the Los Angeles Lakers Qualified for Playoffs After winning vs the Pelicans?D’Angelo Russell (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

On Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 after withstanding a heroic fourth-quarter comeback. In the Western Conference playoffs ‘ opening round, they punched their tickets to reserve a meeting with the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.

 

At the Smoothie King Center, it was LeBron James’ show. The four-time NBA champion led the Lakers to the No. 7 seed with 23 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and three steals, according to the NBA website. The 39-year-old, who is participating in his 21st NBA season, will make his 17th postseason appearance this year.

The Purple and Gold will have another opportunity to get back at Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, who defeated them in the Western Conference Finals the previous year. It hasn’t been easy for the Los Angeles Lakers to make the playoffs. Their roster has struggled with injuries and inconsistency during the regular season.

 

Although players with ailments, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis, have played a significant portion of the games, Los Angeles faltered at times and finished outside of the top six despite playing their best basketball since February.

Los Angeles Lakers Have a Tough Road Ahead in Their Playoff Run

Given their opponents in the NBA Finals, a deeper run in the playoffs is unlikely. To begin their postseason run, they will take on the Nuggets, who, in James’ words, “had their number” throughout the regular season. They will be tested in their opening round after being severely defeated 4-0 by the reigning champions.

The Lakers defeated the Nuggets 4-1 in the 2020 postseason but lost all four games in the 2023 sweep. The No. 2 seed is unquestionably a superior club to the Purple and Gold, but there are plenty of reasons to think that the Lakers will fare better in a meeting with Denver this time.

Los Angeles Lakers might make things more difficult for the Nuggets by building on their momentum and winning a few games to put them under pressure if they can maintain their health and receive the Jarred Vanderbilt boost in the postseason. Only time will tell if this Lakers bunch can stun the Nuggets.