King James does it again! LeBron leads LA Lakers past Pelicans and into NBA Playoffs – despite Zion Williamson’s 40-point night in postseason debut

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – LeBron James had 23 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers clinched a playoff berth with a 110-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference play-in tournament on Tuesday night.

Zion Williamson had 40 points and 11 rebounds in his NBA postseason debut. But shortly after tying the game at 95 on a driving layup with 3:19 left, Williamson went to the locker room and threw a towel on the floor in disgust as he walked into the tunnel with an apparent injury.

Soon after, James hit a jumper, Anthony Davis dunked Austin Reaves’ alley-oop lob, DeAngelo Russell hit a 3 and Davis grabbed a key offensive rebound, then hit two free throws to help the Lakers hold off New Orleans.

Davis had 20 points and 15 rebounds. Russell scored 21 and hit five times from deep.

The Lakers advance to face defending NBA champion Denver in the first round in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals sweep by the Nuggets. Game 1 is Saturday night.

Despite scoring 40 points with 11 rebounds, Zion Williamson and the Pelicans lost, 110-106

With the Play-in win, the Lakers locked in the seventh seed and will play the Denver Nuggets

The Pelicans will face the winner of the second West play-in game between Golden State and Sacramento on Friday.

The Lakers went 14 of 35 from 3-point range. The Pelicans shot 9 of 29 from deep, and Williamson didn’t get much help from the Pelicans’ usual high scorers. Brandon Ingram missed 8 of 12 shots and finished with 11 points. CJ McCollum missed 11 of 15 shots and scored nine.

Trey Murphy III scored 12 and hit two 3s from more than 28 feet in the second half to help New Orleans come back to tie it from an 18-point deficit.

The Lakers led 75-57 after Rui Hachimura’s layup in the third quarter. But New Orleans got back into the game by outscoring Los Angeles 19-8 in the final 5:31 of the period.

Williamson sparked the surge with a pair of layups. Murphy pulled up for a 31-foot 3-pointer in the final minute of the quarter, and Williamson’s free throw made it 83-76 at the end of the period.

Lakers center Anthony Davis clocked in a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds

The Pelicans will face the winner between Golden State and Sacramento in the eighth seed

The Pelicans finally tied it when Williamson knocked down Jose Alvarado’s alley-oop lob in transition to make it 93-all with 3:53 left.

Looking to redeem themselves from a sloppy 128-108 loss to the Lakers in Sunday’s regular-season finale, the Pelicans put together a promising opening quarter to take a 34-28 lead on Herb Jones’ 3.

However, it was one of just four 3s — in 16 attempts — that New Orleans hit in the first half. The Lakers, meanwhile, went 10 of 20 from deep in the first two periods, with Russell hitting three.

Los Angeles added to the lead by outscoring New Orleans 34-16 in the second quarter, leading by as many as 14 after James, who had 15 points in the first half, hit a pair of free throws to make it 58-44.

Williamson, who had 20 points in the first half, cut New Orleans’ halftime lead to 10 with a pair of inside baskets, starting when Ingram found him on a backside cut for a dunk. In the final seconds of the period, Williamson sprinted down the length of the court on the dribble for a layup at the horn that made it 60-50.